Ancient Jerash had two theatres for various cultural and religious venue, North Theatre and South Theater.
North Theatre being the large and more impressive of the two was the main such building in the city. It was built around 165 AD. Original structure included 14 rows of seats for spectators, but as Jerash grew a bigger theatre was needed and North Theatre was expanded to seat 1600 of the city residents. Later South Theatre was added once it became clear that Jerash needed more buildings of this type. In the ancient times Theatres were used for cultural performances, but also for political disputes and religious ceremonies that involved large crowds of people. Today both North and South Theatres are still in use for various historical festivals and cultural events.