Greek Tragic Theatre is intended for those interested in theatre who want to know how Greek tragedy worked. By analysing how the plays were realized in performance, Rush Rehm sheds new light on these old texts and encourages actors and directors to examine Greek tragedy anew by examining the context in which it was once performed.
Emphasizing the political nature of Greek tragedy, as a theatre of, by and for the polis, Rehm characterizes fifth-century Athens as a performance culture, one in which the theatre stood alongside other public forums as a place to confront matters of import and moment. In treating the various social, religious and practical aspects of tragic production, he shows how these elements promoted a vision of the theatre as integral to the life of the city - a theatre whose focus was on the audience.
The second half of the book examines four exemplary plays, Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, and Euripides' Suppliant Women and Ion. Avoiding the critical tradition, Rehm focuses on how each tragedy unfolds in performance, generating different relationships between the characters (and chorus) on stage and the audience in the theatre.
Rehm (acting and drama, Stanford U.) analyzes the Greek plays as they were realized in performance, shedding new light on the old texts for the benefit of actors and directors. He emphasizes the political nature of Greek tragedy, and describes fifth-century Athens as a performance culture, in which the theater was only one of many public forums for dealing with important issues. His examination of four exemplary plays bypasses the critical traditions, and illustrates how each unfolds on stage. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
