Performance and Imagination : Dramatic Space in the Comedies of Menander, Plautus and Terence / Katerina Philippides.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Philippides, Katerina, author.

Series:

Trends in Classics - Supplementary Volumes Series

Trends in Classics - Supplementary Volumes Series ; v.186

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Performance art.

Performance art--Exhibitions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (0 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Berlin, Germany : Walter de Gruyter GmbH, [2025]

Summary:

This is an original study of the notion of space in surviving New Comedy plays by Menander, Plautus and Terence, informed by theoretical discussion on its specific categories. The main focus is on scenic space (what the audience sees) and extra-scenic space (what they imagine), with additional consideration of stage space (where the actors perform); these space distinctions permeate the book. There are illustrative examples of the use of the stage door, performed interior scenes, audible-off-stage events, speaking back into the house or gate-keeper scenes, scenes of distant and remembered space, deathbed scenes, and proxemics (characters’ movements on stage). The second half of the book discusses places of isolation, places characters return to, metatheatrical space, men’s and women’s space, imaginary space, etc. The primary interest lies in interpreting dramatic texts as texts that contain their own performability. New insights and solutions are frequently proposed regarding long-debated issues of stage action. One conclusion to emerge is that rather than hindering playwrights, the austere set of New Comedy succeeds in rendering a vibrant world replete with the multifarious manifestations of public and private life.

Contents:

Intro

Preface

Contents

Introduction

1 Scenic and Extra-Scenic Space in the Narrower Sense

2 Referential Space

3 Scenic and Extra-Scenic Space in the Broader Sense

4 Imaginary Space

Epilogue

Addendum: A Case for Special Consideration: The First Act of the Captivi and its Staging Problems

Bibliography

Index of Terms

Index of Authors and Works.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9783111707402

3111707407

OCLC:

1511340053