The Theatre of Epidaurus: The Architectural Marvel With Perfect Acoustics

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[alejandrotejeriaalcaraz]

I've been an actor for 20 years, and never have i tried a stage like the orchestra of this marvel. The acoustics in this thing are so insane, it feels like you're speaking through a megaphone! It hurts to think it was built +2000 years ago. Tons of Respect to those ancient geniuses.

[tatianamelendez]

I managed to go there! I stood where the statue of Dionysus would've stood and sang 3 songs, Ave Maria, Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera and La Habanera from Carmen. I was only gonna sing Ave Maria, but the people there wanted more so I sang again. Then a French guy approached with a request to sing Carmen like Maria Callas, and he pulled her up in his phone so I could hear it, so in a sense, I sang with Maria Callas in the Theatre at Epidaurus. It was a magical time, probably the best I spent in mainland Greece (I also went to Santorini, Mykonos and Zakynthos).

That theatre is beyond insanely amazing. You don't even have to raise your voice to be heard up at the last row. Hell, you can whisper and it'll be heard! When I was first singing, the acoustics were so crazy that not only was my voice heard throughout the theatre, it was heard all the way down the mountain where the museum and the bathrooms were. That's how the French guy heard me, he came up to figure out who was singing and found me.

[ignitionfrn]

1:15 - Chapter 1 - The healing god
4:35 - Chapter 2 - Heaven and earth
10:50 - Mid roll ads
12:15 - Chapter 3 - From parodos to exodos
16:25 - Chapter 4 - Acoustics & academics

[yotaiji]

If you stand exactly at the podium spot your voice echoes and is amplified perfectly. It’s surreal.

[j-mAkesSht]

I love your videos man! something about a British voice, and a bald guy with a beard makes learning random information very enjoyable !

[christoschristoforou]

I can verify personally the acoustics of the theatre. I have visited many times both empty and in full house performances. The acoustics are totally amazing. If you stand in the virile in the middle a coin being dropped, a match being lit and a softly spoken speech of normal conversation can be heard clearly even at the top. Also during the performances actors speak, shout, whisper and sing and you can tell the difference. Even though Epidaurus is the best preserved theatre this acoustics are true to virtually all the ancient Greek theatres. Totally amazing

[killman]

The ancients sure knew how to do acoustic engineering. This was surround-sound 1500+ years before surround-sound was a thing.

[DrinkingStar]

This video reminded me of a paper I wrote in 1963 for my Theatre 101 course at UCONN. It was entitled "Seating style and arrangement in the modern proscenium arch theatre". It dealt with acoustics and vision as affected by seating arrangement, angle of floor rise, seating distance from the stage and materials within the theatre found on the walls, floor, ceiling and making up the seats. I got an A+ by the professor saying it was one of the best paper he ever read from a theatre 101 student. I thought that was a great compliment since I was a biology and not a fine arts major. He gave me a B+ as a final grade even though I had a 90 average on my tests. I was told by other students that only art and theatre students got A's.

[davidhudson]

I saw a play there back in 2000. I was in the upper middle seating area and every word came through crisp and clear. The theater was packed. My Greek was shoddy but I had no problem hearing the actors who had no microphones or other amplification devices. The musical insturments came through clearer than many concert venues I have been to and again they used no amplification. It is a must see if you go to Greece.

[RTD]

I was there...sat about where the thumbnail was taken. My father-in-law spoke on the stage in a normal voice could hear him perfectly!, ,

[douglinn]

I've performed in choirs at many venues modeled after this place. The first experiment mention was correct. The second mentioning the lack of plastics is correct too. The actual "seats" and orchestra "pad" material plays a major part in sound projection. Certain rocks/cement project sounds better than others. Think of acoustic guitars. The best ones are made of wood that has been studied and used for ages because of it's sound projection qualities.
Modern architectural designers use similar wooden panels that hang from ceilings, some are curved pieces of wood, resembling bacon in a pan, or just flat pieces of wood. Sounds travel from the stage, hit the wooden panels, then travel to the audience's ears.
I wonder if anyone who's studied this place has ever considered the sound reflecting capabilities of the woods behind the stage. That could play a part in the sound quality aswell.

[anamkarajoy]

Friends of mine from University did a month-long study abroad program and got to perform Classic Greek plays (in English) in this amazing space. Still jealous! lol

[dave]

you can be at the very top and hear very clearly. we climbed to the top and our tour guide stood in the center and spoke in a normal voice. you could hear her just like you were face to face with her. could even hear her whispering. amazing.

[kimon]

I've been there several times, both when it was empty and during performances. The experience is absolutely outstanding. You can definitely hear the actors speak clearly, no matter where you sit, but the other tests, a coin drop etc, I cannot tell for sure, but does it matter?
I have also attended performances in two smaller Ancient Greek theaters close to where I used to live, Philippi and Thasos, and the results where the same: perfect acoustics.

[fndenton]

I stood in the middle of this theatre. The tour guide grabbed me as he was talking about the acoustics. He asked me to sing. I froze up. The first song I could think of was the Star Spangled Banner. I sang the US national anthem in an Ancient Greek theatre.

[adamtheninjasmith]

Thank you Simon! I'm a full time single dad and my 9 year old is at home sick with covid so I'm home with him. 3 days into it and I'm getting pretty bored but I've been watching a lot of your videos from your various channels and I was very excited to see a new episode of geographics! At the very least you're helping this dad keep a little of his sanity 👍

[daveo]

That truly is an amazing amphitheater! The view alone, from any of the seats, is breathtaking. I hope to make it there someday.

[markduffy]

I've been there twice, once to watch a Greek Tragedy in Greek. I could hear the performers but I couldn't understand the Greek. The acoustics are incredible. I watched a tour guide do the paper and the match about halfway up the seats, I could hear him just fine.

[ancientsitesgirl]

Visiting Mycenae I wanted to go there... I was very close but I ran out of time. On my next trip to the Peloponnese, I will definitely visit Epidaurus! Thanks for the cool video! ✌<3

[Grk]

I always suggest to everyone visiting Greece to take a day trip there, preferably watch a play as well. Well worth the trip