Radical theatre : Greek tragedy and the modern world / Rush Rehm.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rehm, Rush.

Series:

Classical inter/faces

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Greek drama (Tragedy)--History and criticism.

Greek drama (Tragedy).

Greek drama (Tragedy)--Influence.

Physical Description:

174 p ; 24 cm.

Other Title:

Radical theater

Place of Publication:

London : Duckworth, 2003.

Summary:

Why should Greek tragedy matter now? This book opens a dialogue between the tragic theatre in ancient Athens and the multiple performances of the modern world. In five interconnected essays, Rush Rehm engages tragedy on its own terms, using our oldest theatre as inspiration for how we might shape the theatre of the future. 'Theatre, Artifice, Environment' explores the difference between the outdoor theatre of Athens and the artificial interiors of modern performance. 'Theatre and Fear' compares the terrors confronted in Greek tragedy with our own, seemingly distant fears (environmental destruction, dehumanising technology, corporate control of livelihood and culture). 'The Fate of Agency, the Agency of Fate' applies the paradox of human freedom in Greek tragedy to our own paradoxes of powerlessness and mastery. 'Tragedy and Ideology' treats Greek tragedy as an act of resistance, and 'Tragedy and Time' relates Greek tragedy's survival to its moment-to-moment realisation in performance. Part analysis, part polemic, Radical Theatre engages the aesthetic, political and ethical challenges of Greek tragedy as a means of confronting what tomorrow's theatre can do.

Contents:

1. Theatre, Artifice, Environment 21

2. Tragedy and Fear 40

3. The Fate of Agency, the Agency of Fate 65

4. Tragedy and Ideology 87

5. Tragedy and Time 119

Epilogue: Progress and Survival 140.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 163-169) and index.

ISBN:

0715629166

OCLC:

52657970