Editing Thespis (section)

==Legacy==
{{more citations needed section|date=November 2017}}
It is implied that Thespis invented [[acting]] in the [[Western world]], and that prior to his performances, no one had ever assumed the resemblance of another person for the purpose of storytelling. In fact, Thespis is the first known actor in ''written'' plays. He may thus have had a substantial role in changing the way stories were told and inventing [[theatre]] as we know it today.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} In homage to Thespis, actors in the English-speaking part of the world have been referred to as ''thespians''.

Thespis was the title character in an [[Thespis (opera)|1871 comic opera]] by [[W. S. Gilbert|W.S. Gilbert]] and [[Arthur Sullivan]], the first collaboration between the two men, although the musical score has mostly been lost. The story involves Thespis and his troupe of actors temporarily replacing the [[Twelve Olympians|gods of Olympus]], while the latter come down to earth to "mingle" with humanity. The actors do a bad job of it, and the gods return angrily to resume their rightful roles.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://gsarchive.net/thespis/libretto.txt|title=Libretto: 'Thespis, or The Gods Grown Old'|website=The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive|access-date=2017-08-18}}</ref>

A branch of the [[National Theatre of Greece]] expressly instituted in 1939 to tour the country is named "The Wagon of Thespis" ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Άρμα Θέσπιδος, ''Árma Théspidos'') in his honour.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}