A Day at the Theatre in Ancient Athens

The Ancient Greeks, it’s often said, invented theatre - and the
plays they wrote are still big box office today, particularly when
you have a Hollywood star in the main part. In this episode, Mary
and Charlotte wonder what a day at the theatre in Ancient Athens
was actually like. Did it bear any resemblance to theatre-going
experience in the West End or Broadway today?  The more one
gets into the nitty-gritty of Greek theatre festivals - the
military parades, hymn singing, displays of war booty, processions
of unmarried girls, orphans, and large phalluses - the more alien
it seems. The fact that it took place in the open air and the
actors wore masks is the least of it.  So what was really
going on when the Athenians got together to watch a play? Why was
the state so involved? And would Mary and Charlotte, as women, have
even been allowed in?  @instaclassicpod for Insta, TikTok and
YouTube @insta_classics for X email: instantclassicspod@gmail.com
On Greek theatre, the context and the practicalities… Good
accessible introductions are:  The Cambridge Companion to
Greek and Roman Theatre, ed. McDonald and Walton (Cambridge UP pb,
2011) The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy, ed. Easterling
(Cambridge UP pb, 1997) There is a crucial academic article on the
pre-performance ceremonies by Simon Goldhill: 'The Great Dionysia
and Civic Ideology', reprinted in Nothing to Do with Dionysos?
Athenian Drama in Its Social Context, ed. Winkler and Zeitlin
(Princeton UP, pb 1992) Greek Tragedy: Suffering Under the Sun by
Edith Hall Instant Classics handmade by Vespucci Producer: Jonty
Claypole  Executive Producer: Natalia Rodriguez Ford Video
Editor: Jak Ford Theme music: Casey Gibson   Learn more about
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