I can’t decide whether as educators we are sending theatre study in the wrong direction or if we are simply not up with current trends. I recently taught a translation of Sophocles’ Antigone in a literature class that, in its attempt to abbreviate and possibly to modernize, diminishes the Chorus to a single character. Forget the strophe and antistrophe that gives Greek theatre its movement, the single character cuts away all the ritualistic elements, forcing me to teach this text and explain the work’s relation to theatre’s origin in a way that is needlessly abstruse if not wholly esoteric.
I wouldn’t worry terribly about the text if it weren’t for the fact that my students have decided that this is a play we must present. Rather than feeling slighted by the absence of a chorus and authentic text (as no one would expect them to be), they have decided that the story is beautiful and have already started the arguing over roles (which is to be expected). Rather than looking for a translation that means some compromise between this watery version and something too difficult to present to our students and community, I have decided to plant the seed of the basis of the play, teach ritual as a means of writing and multi-cultural appreciation, and watch what grows out of it. I have a good model for doing this as I was lucky to be part of a similar project with Dr. McDonald at the College of Charleston, though I was probably the weakest link in the ensemble and have not and never will pretend to have McDonald’s talents. What I do have is a group of ambitious students who like my idea of building theatre, which means taking it from ideas and allowing it to evolve into a finished presentation. I believe our rural location provides a fitting rather than an ironic setting for a project such as this considering that Dionysus and his original cult were at least as rural, and success in this community may come about, if for no other reason, because television reception is so poor.
I begin this project with two links I found that I will encourage the students to work with. Of course, there is no textbook for teaching ritualistic theatre, but there is a plethora of articles on the Internet. I will begin this project by recommending to my students and to you these articles and sites and will update this as time permits.
I begin this project with two links I found that I will encourage the students to work with. Of course, there is no textbook for teaching ritualistic theatre, but there is a plethora of articles on the Internet. I will begin this project by recommending to my students and to you these articles and sites and will update this as time permits.
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