Greek Theatre

Find out more about the theatre of Ancient Greece, with this film that examines the role of the chorus, a defining aspect of the plays that emerged there between 500BC and 220BC. Dr Lucy Jackson, Teaching Fellow at King's College London & Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) looks back over some of the recent Greek productions at the National Theatre, and their portrayal of the collective voice of the chorus, featuring directors Katie Mitchell, Carrie Cracknell, Polly Findlay and actor Helen McCrory. For background detail on Greek theatre productions at the National Theatre, see our online exhibit: https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/u/0/exhibit/greek-tragedy-at-the-national-theatre/wRnC0fJ0

Actor Helen McCrory, writer Ben Power and director Carrie Cracknell talk about Euripides' Medea as a contemporary story and how it is still a relevant play for today.

Is Medea's behaviour determined by 'madness'? Classicist Edith Hall and psychiatrist Femi Oyebode discuss this question with Genista McIntosh. This is a recording of a live Platform event.

Forensic psychiatrist Christopher Cordess and academic Julia Stroud discuss the depiction of revenge killing in Medea, reflecting on the reality of similar actions and their psychological impact. This is a recording of a live Platform event.

Historian Bettany Hughes and theatre scholar Oliver Taplin discuss the place of women in religion and their depiction as dangerous and tragic figures.

Professor Oliver Taplin discusses the staging of the 1981 production of Aeschylus' The Oresteia, directed by Peter Hall and performed in both the Olivier Theatre in London and at Epidaurus in Greece.

Professor Oliver Taplin explains the significance of music and poetry in Peter Hall's 1981 production of Aeschylus' The Oresteia, which used Tony Harrison's translation of the text and music composed by Harrison Birtwistle.

Professor Oliver Taplin explores the use of masks in the choruses of Peter Hall's 1981 production of Aeschylus' The Oresteia. The masks used in the production were designed by Jocelyn Herbert

Professor Oliver Taplin discusses elements of production design in Katie Mitchell's 1999 version of Aeschylus's The Oresteia.

Professor Oliver Taplin describes how live video projection formed part of Katie Mitchell's 1999 production of The Oresteia in the Cottesloe theatre.

Professor Edith Hall discusses Katie Mitchell's staging for the 2007 production of Euripides' Women of Troy in the Lyttelton Theatre, exploring archive images of Bunny Christie's designs for the production

Professor Edith Hall talks about Paul Brown's set design for the 2008 production of Sophocles' Oedipus, directed by Jonathan Kent.

A showcase of key objects from National Theatre productions featuring the boobam, one of the musical instruments used in the 1981 production of Aeschylus' The Oresteia, directed by Peter Hall with music composed by Harrison Birtwistle and masks designed by Jocelyn Herbert for the same production, alongside the set model designed by Paul Brown for the 2008 production of Sophocles' Oedipus, directed by Jonathan Kent.

This is a short film about Greek Comedy and Satyr Drama, discussing the festival of Dionysus, the original performance conditions and how these types of performances differ from Greek Tragedy. Featured in this video: Professor Edith Hall, Dr Sean McEvoy, Professor Alan Sommerstein, Dr Laura Swift

The theatre of Ancient Greece flourished between 550 BC and 220 BC. A festival honouring the god Dionysus was held in Athens, out of which three dramatic genres emerged: tragedy, comedy and the satyr play.

This film explores the defining aspects of Greek tragedy and why the plays resonate with audiences today. Featured in this film are experts Edith Hall, professor of Classics at Kings College, London, Laura Swift from the Open University and Dr Sean McElvoy from Varndean College, Brighton.

This video offers a brief introduction to Aristotle's theory of tragedy before focusing on the 2012 production of Antigone, directed by Polly Findlay from Don Taylor's translation.

This video looks at the role of religion in Antigone and how this can be effectively stage in a modern interpretation of the play such as Polly Findlay's 2012 production.

In this video Luke Newberry talks about his character, Haemon, and looks at how his relationship with Antigone adds tension to his interaction with his father Creon.

This video looks at the central relationship in the play between Creon and Antigone. Christopher Eccleston and Jodie Whittaker offer their opinions on the characters they portrayed in the 2012 production.

Haemon is the last of Creon's three sons. In this video Christopher Eccleston discusses how the loss of his two sons affected his relationship with Haemon.

This video looks at the central conflict within the play; Creon's belief in State weighed against the actions of his family.

This film offers a brief introduction to the Ancient Greek Chorus, and the contemporary interpretation of the Chorus in Polly Findlay's 2012 production from Don Taylor's translation.

Ancient plays are often problematic because of their use of language, director Polly Findlay talks about she approached this in the 2012 production of Antigone.