Public and Performance in the Greek Theatre

by Peter D. Arnott

Peter Arnott discusses Greek drama not as an antiquarian study but as a living art form. He removes the plays from the library and places them firmly in the theatre that gave them being. Invoking the practical realities of stagecraft, he illuminates the literary patterns of the plays, the performance disciplines, and the audience responses. Each component of the productions - audience, chorus, actors, costume, speech - is examined in the context of its own society and of theatre practice in general, with examples from other cultures. Professor Arnott places great emphasis on the practical staging of Greek plays, and how the buildings themselves imposed particular constraints on actors and writers alike. Above all, he sets out to make practical sense of the construction of Greek plays, and their organic relationship to their original setting.

Genres: Theatre

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

1931-1990

Reviews

[Maria Cullimore]

Insightful and engaging, this book was a massive eye-opener in terms of how I will read plays of the theatre of Ancient Greece. Arnott is relentless in backing up his points with play text which serves to give a well-rounded picture of the subject. I would however recommend that other readers familiarise themselves with short synopses of the plays mentioned to get the most from the book.

[Neal]

If you're reading or studying Greek drama, this book is indispensable. It illuminates the practical difficulties the Greeks had in staging the plays of antiquity and fairly successfully bridges the often enormous gap in cultural understanding.

[Nick Wellings]

Excellent.