{"id":2128,"date":"2022-06-17T12:06:10","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T11:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/curiosi\/?page_id=2128"},"modified":"2022-08-09T13:18:44","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T12:18:44","slug":"performing-ancient-greek-literature-in-a-time-of-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/curiosi\/performing-ancient-greek-literature-in-a-time-of-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Performing Ancient Greek Literature in a Time of Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><em>Performing Ancient Greek Literature in a Time of Pandemic<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Conference<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>23-24 June 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Organizers: <\/strong>Anastasia Bakogianni (Massey University, New Zealand) and Barbara Goff (University of Reading, UK)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2130\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2130\" style=\"width: 806px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-2130\" src=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/curiosi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/108\/2022\/06\/Uccelli.Mitmacher-300x188.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"806\" height=\"505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/curiosi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/108\/2022\/06\/Uccelli.Mitmacher-300x188.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/curiosi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/108\/2022\/06\/Uccelli.Mitmacher-1024x642.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/curiosi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/108\/2022\/06\/Uccelli.Mitmacher-768x482.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/curiosi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/108\/2022\/06\/Uccelli.Mitmacher.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 806px) 100vw, 806px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2130\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\">From left to right: Stefano Scherini, Nicola Ciaffoni, Giovanna Scardoni, Francesca Botti and the Chorus (on screen), Mitmacher Teatro<em>, Gli Uccelli &#8211; un&#8217;Utopia<\/em>, Premi\u00e8re at the Ancient Roman Theatre &#8211; Verona\u00a0 (27 August 2021)<em>. <\/em>Photo: Courtesy of Studio Brenzoni<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Department of Classics at the University of Reading and the School of Humanities, Media, and Creative Communication at Massey University, New Zealand warmly invite you to attend the &#8216;Performing Ancient Greek Literature in a Time of Pandemic&#8217; conference co-organised by Dr. Anastasia Bakogianni (Massey University, New Zealand) and Professor Barbara Goff (University of Reading). The conference will take place via Zoom on 23rd and 24th June 2022. Below you can find a programme, a registration form, and a list of abstracts. For more information or if you wish to register after 22nd June, please contact: <a href=\"mailto:A.Bakogianni@massey.ac.nz\">A.Bakogianni@massey.ac.nz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Keep an eye on our social media for relevant announcements closer to the dates!<\/p>\n<p>All welcome!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Link to registration form: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/masseyuni.wufoo.com\/forms\/m1a9sd7t0474vxv\/\">https:\/\/masseyuni.wufoo.com\/forms\/m1a9sd7t0474vxv\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Programme<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Day 1: 23 June 2022 (Northern Hemisphere) \/ 24 June (Southern Hemisphere)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>London:\u00a0 Thursday evening 1900 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Auckland: Friday morning (24<sup>th<\/sup> June) 0600 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Rio de Janeiro: Thursday afternoon 1500 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Madrid: Thursday evening 2000 hours<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Welcome (Anastasia and Barbara)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Chair: Anastasia Bakogianni<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Panel 1 on Brazil (90 minutes)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><em>A Brazilian Illustrated Chronicle of Classical Theatre during the Covid-19 Pandemic<br \/>\n<\/em>Renata Cazarini de Freitas, Professor of Latin Language and Literature at Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niteroi, Brazil.<\/li>\n<li><em>Performing Antigone in the Land of the Unmourned: Tragedy and Spectacle<br \/>\n<\/em>Beatriz de Paoli, Professora de L\u00edngua e Literatura Grega, Faculdade de Letras &#8211; Departamento de Letras Cl\u00e1ssicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You can view Prof. Beatriz de Paoli&#8217;s presentation at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/i9alwqqf8nevgla\/Performing%20Antigone%20in%20the%20Land%20of%20the%20Unmourned%3B%20Prof.%20Beatriz%20de%20Paoli%2C%20Universidade%20Federal%20do%20Rio%20de%20Janeiro.pptx?dl=0\">https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/i9alwqqf8nevgla\/Performing%20Antigone%20in%20the%20Land%20of%20the%20Unmourned%3B%20Prof.%20Beatriz%20de%20Paoli%2C%20Universidade%20Federal%20do%20Rio%20de%20Janeiro.pptx?dl=0<\/a><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><em>Tragic and Epic Aspects of the Mini-Opera Pen\u00e9lope 19: A Mixed-Genre Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic<br \/>\n<\/em>Prof. Maria Cec\u00edlia de Miranda Nogueira Coelho, Philosophy Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brasil<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You can read Prof. Coelho&#8217;s notes at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/nt0n2mcjtgbl83b\/FINAL%20PDF%20ENDNOTES%20COELHO%2C%20Maria%20Cecilia%20Performing%20Greek%20Tragedy%20during%20the%20Covid.pdf?dl=0\">https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/nt0n2mcjtgbl83b\/FINAL%20PDF%20ENDNOTES%20COELHO%2C%20Maria%20Cecilia%20Performing%20Greek%20Tragedy%20during%20the%20Covid.pdf?dl=0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Break (15 minutes)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Panel 2: Conversations with theatre practitioners<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>London:\u00a0 Thursday evening 2100 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Auckland: Friday morning (24<sup>th<\/sup> June) 0800 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Rio de Janeiro: Thursday afternoon 1700 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Madrid: Thursday evening 2200 hours<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Gabriela Geluda (actress and soprano)<\/p>\n<p>Armando L\u00f4bo (composer, musician and independent producer)<\/p>\n<p>You can watch the interview at: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/UQIDtevKbTg\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/UQIDtevKbTg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Luis Sorolla (actor and playwright), Teatro de la Abad\u00eda, Madrid<\/p>\n<p>This interview was recorded in two parts. You can watch it at:<\/p>\n<p>Part 1: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/aaMECctyFg0\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/aaMECctyFg0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Part 2: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/WHBsrw3PlD8\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/WHBsrw3PlD8<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Day 2: 24 June 2022 (Northern and Southern Hemispheres)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>London:<\/strong><strong> Friday morning 0800 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Auckland: Friday evening 1900 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Lagos: Friday morning 0800 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Cape Town: Friday morning 0900 hours <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Chair: Barbara Goff<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Panel 3 on Africa (90 minutes)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Conversations with academics and theatre practitioners <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Rites of Mediation: Medea\/Medaaye in a Season of Plague<\/em><br \/>\nTunde Awosanmi, Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan, Nigeria<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Medaaye: Making a Play in a Global Pandemic<\/em><br \/>\nKunbi Olasope, Department of Classics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria<\/p>\n<p>3. Mandla Mbothwe, Founder and Artistic Director at Mud and Fire Parables; Lecturer and Researcher at University of Cape Town, Co-Artistic director at Magnet Theatre, co-Artistic director at Mbothwe and Doni Collectives, on his production of of <em>iKrele le Chiza<\/em>. based on the <em>Odyssey<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>4. Mark Fleishman, playwright and director, University of Cape Town, South Africa, and Co-Artistic Director at Magnet Theatre, on directing <em>Medaye<\/em> as an online performance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Break (30 minutes)<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Panel 4: Italy and Greece <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>London:<\/strong><strong> Friday morning 1000 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Auckland: Friday evening 2100 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Lagos: Friday morning 1000 hours<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #993366\"><strong>Cape Town: Friday morning 1100 hours <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><em>The \u2018Emotion of Multitude\u2019: Staging the Greek Chorus during Italy\u2019s Covid-19 Response<br \/>\n<\/em>Prof. Martina Treu, Greek Language, Literature and Drama, Department of Humanities, Universit\u00e0 IULM, Milano, Italy<\/li>\n<li><em>Greek Drama Goes Online: Theatre as Consolation in Modern Greece<br \/>\n<\/em>Anastasia Bakogianni, Massey University, New Zealand<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Closing remarks (Anastasia and Barbara)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Detailed programme (with abstracts)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Day 1: 23 June\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Welcome (Anastasia and Barbara)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Chair: Anastasia Bakogianni<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Panel 1 on Brazil<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>A Brazilian Illustrated Chronicle of Classical Theatre during the Covid-19 Pandemic<br \/>\n<\/em>Renata Cazarini de Freitas (Universidade Federal Fluminense)<\/p>\n<p>This paper offers an analysis of the two-year absence of physical theatre in Brazil due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which sparked a debate about the very nature of theatre itself. Is theatre only possible when actors perform before a live audience, or can its specific dramaturgy be transplanted online either in the form of recordings or live transmission? In Brazil, like in many other countries around the world, theatre companies initially offered free access to recordings of older productions that had been filmed, the so-called \u201cpandemic movie plays\u201d. But theatre practitioners soon started to offer audiences performances via Zoom and Instagram. Live performances were reformulated to enable actors to perform from their own homes giving rise to many solo shows during the initial stages of the pandemic. Sophocles\u2019 <em>Antigone<\/em> and Euripides\u2019 <em>Medea <\/em>proved particularly popular in this new format, especially in free and innovative adaptations. The story of Troy and Cretan narratives, were performed as monologues, featuring Odysseus, Clytemnestra, Kassandra, and Pasiphae as narrators. Covid-19 and the many challenges it posed brought about innovations that made it possible for smaller theatre groups to gain access to a national audience. In a large country like Brazil this is an important development that will have long-term impacts on Brazilian theatre.<\/p>\n<p>Pre-recorded presentation, illustrated with stills from several productions.<\/p>\n<p>Approx.15 min. PowerPoint. English.<\/p>\n<p>Renata Cazarini de Freitas is Professor of Latin Language and Literature at Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niteroi, Brazil. To learn more about her research on the reception of Greek and Latin theatre in Brazil see: <a href=\"http:\/\/palcoclassico.blogspot.com\/\">http:\/\/palcoclassico.blogspot.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;- <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018Performing <em>Antigone<\/em> in the Land of the Unmourned: Tragedy and Spectacle\u2019<br \/>\nBeatriz de Paoli (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro)<\/p>\n<p><em>How should I Mourn Them?<\/em>\u00a0premiered online\u00a0in\u00a0the first half of 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Brazil the hardest.\u00a0Directed by Marina Viana, it is an innovative\u00a0adaptation of\u00a0<em>Antigone<\/em>\u00a0that combines elements of a theatrical\u00a0performance with audio-visual material, as well as text and the visual\u00a0arts. The distinctive dynamics of this play made it stand out among other online theatrical offerings. The Brazilian public was granted access to a website and allowed to navigate it freely for four hours to view a series of multi-media fragments. These fragments were presented on the website in a set order for viewers to follow, but the audience could, if they so wished, jump from one fragment to another, creating their own narratives. An e-book of the script was also made available for download. In it the producers dedicated the work to the victims of the pandemic\u00a0whose families\u00a0could not\u00a0properly mourn\u00a0their dead relatives and friends, in large part due\u00a0to the Brazilian government&#8217;s mismanaged response to COVID-19. A clear connection can be traced back to\u00a0Sophocles\u2019 tragedy, the story of Polynices&#8217; unburied corpse\u00a0and his sister\u2019s desperate act that resulted in partially completed\/aborted funerary rites.\u00a0Like the ancient Theban character,\u00a0the many victims of this twenty-first century pandemic were deprived of\u00a0full\u00a0funeral honors, with many buried in mass graves, virtually unmourned by their loved ones apart from in private. However,\u00a0<em>How should I Mourn Them?<\/em>\u00a0offers viewers more than a surface level connection with its ancient model. Its multivariate\u00a0and multi-media format and the\u00a0opportunities it offered for audience participation allow us to unearth different layers of meaning and multiple points of connection to the Greek drama,\u00a0which this paper explores in detail.<\/p>\n<p>Beatriz de Paoli, Professora de L\u00edngua e Literatura Grega, Faculdade de Letras &#8211; Departamento de Letras Cl\u00e1ssicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;- <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Tragic and Epic Aspects of the Mini-Opera Pen\u00e9lope 19: A Mixed-Genre Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic<br \/>\n<\/em>Maria Cec\u00edlia de Miranda Nogueira Coelho\u00a0(Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais)<\/p>\n<p>The mini-opera <em>Pen\u00e9lope-19<\/em> received its first and only performance on 19 September, at 19hours, on Chanel CO.MO (Company of Micro Opera) during the height of the pandemic in the 2020 Brazilian lockdown. A recording was made, because its creators like other theatre practitioners working in 2020 and 2021 wanted to make their production available to a wider public. Currently, it is available on YouTube, with English subtitles (length: 14m, 91s). There is not much dialogue which makes it accessible to a wider audience. This micro-opera was written and directed by the musician Armando L\u00f4bo, and performed by Gabriela Geluda, a well-known Brazilian actress and soprano. It was not the first time that Gabriela performed a character related to Greek mythology. She played Medea in the opera <em>Kseni<\/em>, <em>the Foreigner<\/em> (2006) based on Euripides\u2019 famous play and directed by Jocy Oliveira, a famous contemporary composer, pianist, and multimedia artist. In the context of the pandemic L\u00f4bo created a second opera, entitled <em>The Last Day<\/em> (June 2021), which combines the ancient concept of the <em>moirai<\/em> with the mourning traditions of the Northeast of Brazil. He created an operatic version of the ritual vigil for the dead. The classical connection is not the focus of this work, but it is another example of his fascination with the ancient world. In <em>Pen\u00e9lope19<\/em>, the main theme is quarantine, the physical isolation so many people around the globe have had to endure since March of 2020. In the program that accompanies the opera (available only in Portuguese), \u201cthe theme is us, in our homes, redesigning what we are and what we are looking for\u2026\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>My presentation analyzes this \u201cmicro-opera\u201d with reference to four key thematic areas: 1) the reception of the myth of\u00a0Penelope, especially the composer\u2019s sources of inspiration (including exclusive material from my interviews with him and Gabriela); 2)\u00a0 the changes made to adapt a traditional long genre (opera) into \u00a0a micro one, with particular attention paid to the piece\u2019s rhetorical strategies; 3) the close connections between the genres of tragedy and opera, as they apply to this production; 4) cinematic intertextualities, for example, Fred Astaire dancing with a hat hack (in the 1951 film <em>Royal Wedding<\/em>) or\u00a0 Gene Kelly with a mop (in the 1943 film <em>Thousand Cheer<\/em>) and the effect these produce on the viewer; 4) and finally, the transposition, due to Covid, from a traditional theater to an online performance focusing my discussion on the impact of mixed genres and virtual performances on audiences.<\/p>\n<p>Prof. Maria Cec\u00edlia de Miranda Nogueira Coelho<\/p>\n<p>Philosophy Department &#8211; Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brasil<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211; <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Panel 2: Conversations with theatre practitioners from Brazil and Spain<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gabriela Geluda (actress and soprano)<\/p>\n<p>Armando L\u00f4bo (composer, musician and independent producer)<\/p>\n<p>Luis Sorolla (actor and playwright), Teatro de la Abad\u00eda, Madrid<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211; <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Day 2: 24 June \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Chair: Barbara Goff<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Panel 3 on Africa Conversations with academics and theatre practitioners <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Rites of Mediation: Medea\/Medaaye in a Season of Plague<\/em>.<br \/>\nTunde Awosanmi (Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan, Nigeria)<\/p>\n<p>In the making of humanity, three ancient sub-structures have persisted, symbiotically forming a mutual front in mythology. The three \u2013 ritual, religion and art \u2013 concurrently signify means, forms and goals of mankind\u2019s mediation of existence. For enduring, therefore, as a strategic rite in humanity\u2019s existentialist adaptational procedures, mediationism is relevant to a discourse on the permanence of the performance of the classics through one of its spin-offs during the latest global pandemic (Covid-19). Mediation is often connected to the materiality of theatrical production such as technology and other tangible aids and effects and not in relation to the more organic immaterial aspects such as writing, adaptation, cognitive conceptualization and creative interpretation. The paper, therefore, proposes a critical reflection on the pandemic performance of <em>Medaaye<\/em>, Osofisan\u2019s re-reading of Euripides\u2019 <em>Medea<\/em>, directed by \u2018Tunde Awosanmi, at the height of the Covid-19 scourge in 2021 with the view to determining the stages and forms of mediation involved in its process.<\/p>\n<p>From a directorial\/practice-led research standpoint, the production\u2019s appraisal is meant to elicit and contend the following: mediation is both consciousness and act, thus it traverses and unites mankind\u2019s psychical and psychomotor dimensions; the modified presentational approach imposed by the pandemic ecology is a hysterical mediation of humanity\u2019s pathological status; Euripides\u2019 <em>Medea<\/em> is one of the numerous sub-texts of the dramatic variance of the Greek megatext of which Osofisan\u2019s <em>Medaaye<\/em> is a recent re-construction; while <em>Medea<\/em> is Euripides\u2019 mediation of a Greek myth, <em>Medaaye<\/em> further mediates <em>Medea<\/em> through Osofisan\u2019s intentional cultural interweaving practice; dramatic adaptation is both scriptive and cultural mediation; the directorial art is interpretive textual mediation; while a text\u2019s full performance is creative mediation via theatricalization, the \u2018performed reading\u2019 \u2013 modified\/altered performance \u2013 formula adopted for <em>Medaaye<\/em> confers on it a rite of mediation in the global pandemic; digitally, virtually and manually mediated performances during the pandemic are signs of an existential hysteria; the pandemic rehearsal and performance spaces are censored\/gagged spaces of mediation; pandemic audienceship is therapy-seeking spectatorship; though circumstantial, pandemic theatre has emerged as a special nomenclature, a new performance genre with certain peculiar characteristics whose durability appears to be encroaching on a post-pandemic era.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;- <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Medaaye:\u00a0 Making a Play in a Global Pandemic<br \/>\n<\/em>Olakunbi Olasope (University of Ibadan, Nigeria)<\/p>\n<p><em>Medaaye <\/em>is the latest adaptation of a Greek classic by the eminent playwright, Femi Osofisan. This play is a re-reading of Euripides\u2019 <em>Medea<\/em>. The Pandemic dictated the mode of performance of this play, and Osofisan was able to experiment with several perspectives and ambivalences. The play had multiple framing, storytelling, and rehearsal format. Thus, all this gave it a taste of the provisional. It also provided the opportunity for the dramatist to keep modifying the script based on the audience-response feedback that he received before the play was eventually published in February, 2022.<\/p>\n<p>There was the need to revive the culture of theatre-going in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria. Osofisan\u2019s play therefore arrived on the scene at the nick of time. However, the pandemic made performance in the theatre impossible because of the non-pharmaceutical regulations. Therefore, a totally different approach was explored. The play was taken round prominent hotels, guesthouses and bookstores in the city of Ibadan where dramatised reading performances were held outdoors. This type of performance was novel to the actors, and it was mutually challenging and enriching for all involved in the maiden production.<\/p>\n<p>Olakunbi Olasope<\/p>\n<p>Department of Classics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;- <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mandla Mbothwe on production of <em>iKrele le Chiza<\/em> based on the <em>Odyssey<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Mark Fleishman on directing <em>Medaye<\/em> as an online performance<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Panel 4: Italy and Greece <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>The \u2018Emotion of Multitude\u2019: Staging the Greek Chorus during Italy\u2019s Covid-19 Response<br \/>\n<\/em>Martina Treu (Universit\u00e0 IULM)<\/p>\n<p>The title of my paper is borrowed from an essay by William Butler Yeats: \u201cThe Greek drama has got the emotion of multitude from its chorus.\u201d (<em>Essays<\/em>, 1924: 265\u201367). The role and function of the tragic and comic choruses in our surviving corpus of ancient Greek dramas remains a key theme in scholarship. How to stage the Greek chorus on the modern stage is also a challenge for theatre practitioners who adapt, re-write, and perform these ancient plays. How the chorus is utilised in a modern performance of ancient drama tends to reveal both the strengths and weaknesses of a production. The success or failure of the chorus on the modern stage is determined by several factors, and in the past two years these have included the restrictions imposed by governments to combat the spread of Covid-19.<\/p>\n<p>In the past thirty years, I have been working on the Greek chorus and its reception as a scholar and translator, a theatre practitioner and dramaturg. My analysis, therefore, draws not only on recent scholarship but also on theatrical practice, and my close collaborations with playwrights, directors, and actors in modern productions. Working as a dramaturg in the past two years allows me to testify to the impact of the pandemic especially on the difficulties involved in staging the chorus with specific reference to Italian adaptations of Aristophanes\u2019 <em>Birds <\/em>and <em>Frogs<\/em> I was involved in, and of Euripides\u2019 <em>Trojan Women<\/em>. The paper will address the solutions offered by such recent productions within the wider Italian context, which not only offer fresh perspectives, but might also be foreshadowing the theatrical trends of the future.<\/p>\n<p>Prof. Martina Treu<br \/>\nGreek Language, Literature and Drama<br \/>\nDepartment of Humanities<br \/>\nUniversit\u00e0 IULM, Milano, Italy<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211; <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Greek Drama Goes Online: Theatre as Consolation in Modern Greece<br \/>\n<\/em>Anastasia Bakogianni (Massey University, New Zealand)<\/p>\n<p>The world-changing period of deep crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic presents us with a unique opportunity to reflect with fresh eyes on the value of Greek drama and its importance for our communal and individual wellbeing. This paper seeks to address the question: \u2018Can watching a performance of Greek drama help audiences find a measure of consolation?\u2019. The performance reception of Greek drama in Modern Greece in 2020 and 2021 serve as my case studies. As early as spring, the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation produced <em>Under the Glow of the Light<\/em> (17 April 2020), featuring well-known actors performing short passages from ancient Greek texts and modern Greek adaptations as a means of reminding us of the importance of theatre in society and its power to console us in times of crisis.<\/p>\n<p>The Athens and Epidaurus Festival decided to proceed with its 2020 and 2021 programmes, adapted to observe the health regulations mandated by the Greek government. Katerina Evangelatou, the first female artistic director in the history of the festival, played a key role in bringing ancient drama live to the stage of Epidaurus in the summer of 2020. This paper will focus on the signature Greek tragedy staged at Epidaurus in the summer of 2020 and the first comedy in the summer of 2021. Dimitris Lignadis\u2019 production of Aeschylus\u2019 <em>The Persians<\/em> featured extended scenes of lamentation and socially distanced staging. Aristophanes\u2019 <em>The Frogs<\/em> directed by Argyro Chioti brought welcome comic relief the next year. Both performances were livestreamed worldwide. This was one of Evangelatou\u2019s innovative initiatives that enabled the festival to reach new and wider audiences. The historic appointment of Evangelatou, coupled with the unprecedented challenges she faced, allows us to reflect on how Modern Greece broke several boundaries in staging Greek tragedy this summer, including harnessing technology in the service of theatre to bring audiences that are physically distanced together for a communal theatrical experience.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Anastasia Bakogianni<br \/>\nSchool of Humanities, Media, and Creative Communication<br \/>\nMassey University, New Zealand (Auckland campus)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Closing remarks (Anastasia and Barbara)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>The End<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Performing Ancient Greek Literature in a Time of Pandemic Conference 23-24 June 2022 Organizers: Anastasia Bakogianni (Massey University, New Zealand) and Barbara Goff (University of Reading, UK) The Department of&#8230;<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"&#104;&#116;&#116;&#112;&#115;&#58;&#47;&#47;&#114;&#101;&#115;&#101;&#97;&#114;&#99;&#104;&#46;&#114;&#101;&#97;&#100;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#46;&#97;&#99;&#46;&#117;&#107;&#47;&#99;&#117;&#114;&#105;&#111;&#115;&#105;&#47;&#112;&#101;&#114;&#102;&#111;&#114;&#109;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#45;&#97;&#110;&#99;&#105;&#101;&#110;&#116;&#45;&#103;&#114;&#101;&#101;&#107;&#45;&#108;&#105;&#116;&#101;&#114;&#97;&#116;&#117;&#114;&#101;&#45;&#105;&#110;&#45;&#97;&#45;&#116;&#105;&#109;&#101;&#45;&#111;&#102;&#45;&#112;&#97;&#110;&#100;&#101;&#109;&#105;&#99;&#47;\">Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":653,"featured_media":2130,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2128","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - 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