Ley, Graham A Short Introduction to the Ancient Greek Theater: Revised Edition. 116 p., 6 halftones, 4 line drawings. 5 x 8 2006
Cloth $32.00sc ISBN: 978-0-226-47762-6 (ISBN-10: 0-226-47762-2) Fall 2006
Paper $12.00sp ISBN: 978-0-226-47761-9 (ISBN-10: 0-226-47761-4) Fall 2006
University of Chicago Press
Contemporary productions on stage and film, and the development of theater studies, continue to draw new audiences to ancient Greek drama. With observations on all aspects of performance, this volume fills their need for a clear, concise account of what is known about the original conditions of such productions in the age of Pericles.
Reexamining the surviving plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes, Graham Ley here discusses acting technique, scenery, the power and range of the chorus, the use of theatrical space, and parody in their plays. In addition to photos of scenes from Greek vases that document theatrical performance, this new edition includes notes on ancient mime and puppetry and how to read Greek playtexts as scripts, as well as an updated bibliography. An ideal companion to The Complete Greek Tragedies, also published by the University of Chicago Press, Ley’s work is a concise and informative introduction to one of the great periods of world drama.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Plans and Illustrations / vii
Preface / ix
Preface to the Revised Edition / ix
Acknowledgments / xi
Introduction / 1
Greek Drama
The Organization of the Festivals
Lesser Dramatic Performances at Athens
The Writer
The Theater
Scenography
Masks, Costume, and Properties
Chorus
Actors
Reading Texts as Scripts
The Playing Space
The Audience
Delivery
Distance and Physical Action
Choral Song and Choral Action
Parody
Translation and Adaptation
Appendix: Chronology of the Surviving Plays
Glossary
Bibliography
Commentary on the Plates
Index