lebrated the harvest and the coming spring by dancing on the threshing floor or the theater floor. This dance was a form of worship to the god, Dionysus, who was seen as the life giving spirit in all things in the wild, from the vine to the animals (Knox in Fagles, 1984). Springtime was seen as a time for Dionysus and his followers to invade all things civilized. The city fathers might try to fight them, but eventually every year Dionysus had free reign of the city. Eventually these threshing floor choruses became full-fledged, city-sponsored performances. Non-citizens were allowed to watch the performances and partake of the festival and even prisoners were allowed out on bail (Knox in Fagles, 1984).
First the performances had just the Chorus, later they added one actor. Aeschylus was the first poet to add a
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