Performance in Greek and Roman Theatre

In recent years, classicists have begun aggressively to explore the impact of performance on the ways in which Greek and Roman plays are constructed and appreciated, both in their original performance context and in reperformances down to the present day. While never losing sight of the playscripts, it is necessary to adopt a more inclusive point of view, one integrating insights from archaeology, art, history, performance theory, theatre semiotics, theatrical praxis, and modern performance reception. This volume contributes to the restoration of a much-needed balance between performance and text: it is devoted to exploring how performance-related considerations (including stage business, masks, costumes, props, performance space, and stage-sets) help us attain an enhanced appreciation of ancient theatre.

Vayos Liapis, Ph.D. (1997) in Classics, University of Glasgow, is Associate Professor of Theatre at the Open University of Cyprus. He has published extensively on Greek literature, especially tragedy; his latest book is A Commentary on the 'Rhesus' Attributed to Euripides (Oxford University Press, 2012).

George W.M. Harrison, Ph.D. (1985) in Classics and Archaeology, Johns Hopkins University, is Assistant Professor of Classics at Concordia where he also teaches in Art History. He is active in productions in the Theatre Department. He has written extensively on Roman imperial tragedy and satyr drama.

Contributors: Vayos Liapis, George W.M. Harrison, Costas Panayotakis, Grigoris M. Sifakis, David Konstan, Martin Revermann, Robert Tordoff, Jocelyn Penny Small, A. J. Podlecki, Geoff Bakewell, Peter Meineck, Rosie Wyles, Judith Fletcher, Robert Ketterer, C. W. Marshall, Jeffrey Rusten, Graham Ley, Robert Cowan, George Fredric Franko, Richard Beacham, Dorota Dutsch, A. K. Petrides, Edith Hall, George Kovacs, Gonda Van Steen, and Fiona Macintosh.

“While reading I often felt that the individual authors were inviting me to change places and sit near them for a slightly better look at the same stage from another part of the theater. Some readers will find some seats more rewarding than others, but on the whole this is a diverse but pleasingly cohesive collection that greatly expands our view of ancient performance.[...] The volume on the whole is meticulously edited, remarkably free of typographical errors, and contains numerous helpful black and white photographs” - Christopher B. Polt, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2013.11.27