The word theatre comes from Greek and literally means seeing place. The theatre has been popular in ancient times. People did not go to the theatre simply to see an interesting ........(1)........ for the plays formed part of religious festivals. ........(2)........ early Greek theatres consisted of no more than a flat space with an altar at the foot of a hillside. ........(3)........ that time, there were no........(4)........ as there are in modern theatres, so the ........(5)........ stood or sat on the slopes of the hillside. Gradually, special theatres were made by building large stone or wooden steps one ........(6)........ another up the hillside. In later times, a hut was built at the far side of the acting area where it formed a background for the actors ........(7)........ the parts of the different characters. Eventually, a ........(8)........ platform was built so that the actors could be seen more clearly. This was the first appearance of anything ........(9)........ our modern stage. As well as these permanent theatres, there were simple wooden stages .........(10)........ around by actors wandering from one place to another. There was also a hut with curtains that served both as background scenery and as a dressing room.