Synopses & Reviews
Contemporary productions on stage and film, and the development of theater studies, have created a new audience for ancient Greek drama. This volume fills the need for a clear, concise statement of what is known about the original conditions of production for tragedy, comedy, and satyr play in the age of Pericles and provides observations on all aspects of performance.
Reexamining the surviving plays of the tragic writers Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides and of the comedian Aristophanes, Graham Ley discusses the actor's technique, the power and range of the chorus, the use of theatrical space, and parody in the plays. A series of diagrams relates the theater to the city and political life of ancient Athens, and photographic illustrations of scenes from Greek vases document the visualization of theatrical performance.
An ideal companion to The Complete Greek Tragedies (University of Chicago Press), Ley's work is a valuable user's guide to the critical assessment of modern translations and adaptations of tragedy and comedy. It is designed for all students of Greek drama with an interest in performance, and for theatrical practitioners who require a concise but informative introduction to one of the great periods of world drama.
Synopsis
Contemporary productions on stage and film, and the development of theater studies, have created a new audience for ancient Greek drama. This volume fills the need for a clear, concise statement of what is know about the original conditions of production for tragedy, comedy, and satyr play in the age of Pericles and provides observations on all aspects of performance.
About the Author
Graham Ley is professor emeritus of drama and theory at the University of Exeter.
Table of Contents
List of Plans and Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Greek Drama
The Organization of the Festivals
The Writer
The Theater
Scenography
Masks, Costume, and Properties
Chorus
Actors
The Playing Space
The Audience
Delivery
Distance and Physical Action
Choral Song and Choral Action
Parody
Translation and Adaptation
Appendix—Chronology of the Surviving Plays
Glossary
Bibliography
Commentary on the Plates
Index