I presume it was evening, as the light was nicer, air was cooler, people weren’t working etc., am I correct?
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These pagents could last a few days, but yes – the plays were usually staged as the sun went down.
The amphitheaters in Greece, Cyprus, etc. are all designed so that they face outwards towards the water. As the performance progresses, the sun sinks into the sea behind the actors and the moon takes its place.
I’ve performed in three different amphitheaters over there during the summer months, when the days are longest and I seem to remember that our shows started at pm. Not dark yet, but getting there. This remarkable organic shift in light behind the stage is simply thrilling. It lends an electric quality to the drama which is hard to imagine when you’re just reading the words off the page in a classroom or wherever. The change in light is as effective as an entire change of scenery (which of course was not yet part of the performance back then – the “stage” is just a bare stone area with only the sea as a background.)