Short Introduction to the Ancient Greek Theater

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