Contemporary Players

When an ancient Greek actor took the stage, he would be masked, costumed, and carrying props that would immediately communicate to the audience much of who that character was in the story. This convention not only allowed even the furthest seats to identify the character, but also allowed an actor, who would often play multiple roles, and the playwright a type of "short-hand" to visually communicate character information that would otherwise require dialogue.

Though contemporary film actors no longer wear theatrical masks, costumes, make-up, prosthetics and even CGI effects can immediately convey much about a character's background. Also, whent an actor establishes a career and builds recognition as a character type with their audience, film-makers are able to instantly create a hero, a comic, or a villain through effective casting.