They were used to show emotion of the character so the audience from far away could tell what was going on.
They were used in the greek theatres when a play was on.
I remember masks were used pretty heavily in Greek theater , and several productions call for masks such as The Phantom of the Opera.
The Greek word for mask is "μάσκα" (pronounced "maska"). This term is used in both modern and ancient Greek contexts. In ancient Greek theater, masks were significant for portraying different characters and emotions. The concept of masks has also transcended to various cultural and artistic expressions throughout history.
The two masks represent comedy and tragedy. They are symbols of ancient Greek muses; Thalia, the muse of comedy and Melpomene, the muse of tragedy.
The masks are comedy and tragedy.
because they wanted people to really guess their emotion and not just guess the wrong thing
Egyptians and Celts Greek's.
Since, in Greek plays, there were usually one to three actors and a chorus. The masks could be used to show a change in character, since there were not enough actors to play all the parts. Masks were also used to show a physical change in a certain character. For example, in Oedipus, after he stabs his eyes out, a mask could have been used to represent this physical change(the lack of eyes).The masks were also made to help project the voices of the actors. Many of them had a type of 'megaphone' shaped mouth which allowed the voice to project to the farthest reaches of the Amphitheatre.
In japan its called Kabuki Also, Greek theatre uses masks (see Related Question below).
The difference between modern day theatre and ancient Greek theater is that in ancient Greece only boys could act in the shows. The stages were tilted instead of the chairs for the audience and they used big two sided masks made of rock.
the ancient masks orginated in Poland. The theatre's used them while performing in acts. everyone thinks that they originated in greek but they didnt. this information is worth while for assignments in your schooling! have fun
the dithyramb, props and masks, the skene, and written scripts