My original ideas about Saylor
I kept them much more summary than your wonderfully complete list
as you can see. Performed at "Roman Festival" (can a student look this up?)
staging:
temporary stage
temporary seating
preferential seating for senators
note Gordianus predicting that sometime there would be a permanent stone theater
conventions:
would an actor normally have walked out into the audience?
acting profession:
includes free and slaves
one could apprentice oneself to learn the art
actors play different roles, but may develop specialties as well
some intersting ideas about what makes one actor better, more convincing than another
Roscius is actor, director, what else? Is this like Shakesperean company where actors did everything else, too(selling tickets, doing props, scenery, etc.)?
masks:
generic or stock (reference to the old man's mask)
backstage:
general busyness of coming off and going onstage, changing costumes, etc.
audience:
noisy, opinionated