The Aulularia , having been written at sometime between the last half of the third century and the second century BCE, would originally have been performed on one of these impermanent structures. Because these stages did not have any permanent backdrops, the background had to be explained to audience members in the prologue of the play, as in the Aulularia when the Lar familiaris describes, in lines 2 through 3, where the house of Euclio is and the neighboring house as well, in lines 31 through 32. The development of a more elaborate stage followed, after Plautus wrote Amphitruo , which needed an upper story for its performance. So as Bieber claimed, the development of the stage certainly followed the development of the literature. The artistic style of the se structures developed into theaters built during the time of Imperial Rome.
Theaters are just one example of the architecture present in antiquity.
The Romans seemed to focus not only on the aesthetics of their architecture, but also the engineering. Everything was meticulously planned and often symmetry balanced the buildings. Theaters show this symmetry and proportionate balance especially in their interior. The cavea, or bleacher seats, were built into a hillside, as is common with Roman theaters. When looking at the ornate exterior of a Roman theater, the importance of these buildings and therefore the importance of performance and entertainment, is evident.