A comedy in Epidaurus

This picture reminds me of another funny story about our 2000 honeymoon in Greece. When our tour went to Epidaurus, there were many other tourists there, such that a few dozen people were walking around on the "stage" and also lingering among the stone benches. Soon after entering the area, Amy and I made our way up high and to the right (which would be on the left side of this picture I believe) to experience looking down onto the stage, as ancient Greeks would have done two-and-a-half millenia ago. As we watched, our tour leader, a cranky, mystical, middle-aged Athenian woman, made her way to the center stone, where the person is standing in the picture here. This is the best spot on the stage to orate so that everyone in the theater can hear you. Our tour leader even claimed that scientists still cannot explain why a voice emanating from this exact spot can be heard so well. (I don't believe her, but it is still impressive that the Greeks found, or rather created, this spot.) Our tour leader then proceeded to shush the entire theater of noisy tourists: "EXCUSE ME, BE QUIET PLEASE, QUIET!!" Oh my. And everyone stopped, stunned, and did as they were told!

It was neat though: once everyone shut up as she demanded, she proceeded to speak quite softly from that magic spot, and, sure enough, we could clearly hear her voice from maybe 100 feet away, thanks to the ingenius design of the theater.