Average citizens would sit in the theatron, the main viewing area which could hold up to 20,000 people. The very poor, whose admission would have been paid by the state, climbed up to the "nose-bleed" section, from where the actors appeared only an inch tall. Fortunately, thanks to the elaborate masks worn onstage and the excellent acoustics of the theater, all spectators were able to follow most of the action. Unfortunately, the "cheap seats" probably didn’t get any of the fruit and nuts that were sometimes thrown out to the spectators during comedic plays.
Overview
Beautifully designed into panoramic hillsides, the open-air theaters of Ancient Greece demonstrated a command of architecture and acoustics, existing as vast communal spaces where performances could be seen and heard clearly from every possible seat.
All men attending the theater (whether women could attend is still debated) entered through the parodos, the same ground-level entrances used by the chorus and actors during the performance.
But being a citizen with wealth and power had advantages. Priests and important statesman would sit in marble throne-like chairs, engraved with their names, situated in a semi-circle around the orchestra, the circular area of hard-packed earth where the chorus sang, danced, or engaged with the actors. These prime orchestra-level seats were gave the best "court-side" views of the performance.
