The Grand Theatre

Built under the samnites but entirely rebuilt in the second century BC, the Grand Theatre of Pompeii is located, as well as the main theaters of ancient Greece, near a sacred area.

Two main characteristic of this structure are certainly the typical Hellenistic architecture and the excellent acoustics.

The theater could accommodate about 5000 spectators and was divided into:

Area for the public
This area also called auditorium, was formed by boxes called tribunalia that were reserved for honored guests and was divided into 3 parts:
Ima Cavea, the area reserved for settlers entirely covered in marble
Media Cavea, the area devoted to corporations as well as the widest and best placed for viewing the shows.
Summa Cavea, the area for common people. Today this area is very little due to a collapse occurred following the earthquake of  62 AD

The Orchestra
This area is accessible from two ways: the right, leading to a courtyard behind the scene from which you could then access via a staircase to the Triangular Forum. The entrance on the left side could be reached from Via Stabia.
The area of the stage, in brickwork, was about a meter and a half high and had two steps, through which the actors went into the scene, while on the sides were some niches. The scene, behind a curtain, was an imitation of a princely palace, with three doors and two floors.
The entire area of the theater, probably, was decorated with fountains and nymphs, some of which have also been found at the time of the excavations. The presence of hollow blocks instead indicated that in the warmer months the entire structure was covered with a velarium.