Sophocles
Ancient greek C.497 BCE – C.406 BCE
It’s hard to find any one person who has had a greater influence on theatre and playwriting than Ancient Greek pioneer Sophocles. Born into a society that championed philosophy, drama and creativity, he earned fame by beating the thenguiding light of Greek theatre, Aeschylus, in the Dionysia theatre competition in 468 BCE. By altering the rules of playwriting — for example, by adding a third character to the somewhat rigid form of two characters and a chorus — he managed to expand the possibilities of storytelling on stage. He was most famous for his tragedies and while only a few of his plays still survive, those that do are still popular with directors and performers today.