Also called the Herod Atticus theater, this structure was one of several built by Atticus to honor the memory of his rich wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla. Unfortunately, part of that memory was Atticus' trial and eventual acquittal for charges that he had one of his slaves beat to death his wife while she was pregnant with their sixth child. For a man of his wealth and rank to be brought up on these charges was almost unheard of, and public opinion at the time held that he had bought his acquittal and truly gotten away with murder. The dramas performed at the theater were nothing compared to the real-life drama behind its construction.
By the way, I may be a bit prejudiced here; family tradition counts Aspasia Annia Regilla as an ancient relation.