THE GREX ECONOMY

At each opportunity for dramatic performance in the Roman republic there were magistrates – either aediles or praetors – who were responsible for hiring troupes. One can conceive of the theatrical economy in terms of magistrates hiring a troupe as a gift (munus) to the audience – one of the expected components of religious ritual and celebration. This is a straightforward view: the state or rich individuals hire a troupe to present entertainments for an audience. It lies behind the analysis of Beare: ‘Between the impecunious dramatist who wanted to sell his play, the general public who wanted to be amused at some one else's expense, and the ambitious magistrate who was willing to supplement the State grant (lucar) out of his own resources, an essential link was the producer and actor–manager.’ Beare's summary recognises that other parties benefit in this transaction. For the audience returns its support to the magistrates and all they represent as the price for the entertainment. In this view, the troupe and its plays are the product being sold to the Roman audience, in hopes of non-financial but nevertheless very real benefits in return. Seeing the troupe as a commodity does not take us far in terms of understanding what its role in the process actually is.

A better way to think of the Roman theatrical economy is this: the troupe sells an audience to the magistrates for a price.