Musical theatre is believed to have its origins either in ancient India, Greece or the Roman Empire between the third and fifth centuries B.C. Story-telling either through or with music and dance was an art form popularised by the great saint-poet Bharata Muni, who wrote one of the first treatises on musical theatre in ancient India, called the 'Natya Shastra'.
The ancient Greeks in the third century B.C. regularly included song and dance routines in each of their plays, be it in the genre of comedy or tragedy. Aeschylus and Sophocles were two great playwrights and musicians in Greek literature, who often composed and set their own songs to music and incorporated these in their plays. Plautus was a fifth-century Roman playwright who specialised in the genre of comedy and often included musical orchestrations in his works. Roman actors, who performed in the open-air arenas or amphitheatres, were complete entertainers who wore sabilla or metal chips to their stage footwear to come up with the first tap shoes in history. This made their dance movements audible to the crowds.
The ancient Greeks in the third century B.C. regularly included song and dance routines in each of their plays, be it in the genre of comedy or tragedy. Aeschylus and Sophocles were two great playwrights and musicians in Greek literature, who often composed and set their own songs to music and incorporated these in their plays. Plautus was a fifth-century Roman playwright who specialised in the genre of comedy and often included musical orchestrations in his works. Roman actors, who performed in the open-air arenas or amphitheatres, were complete entertainers who wore sabilla or metal chips to their stage footwear to come up with the first tap shoes in history. This made their dance movements audible to the crowds.
