Greco-Roman Myths & Mischief at the Bartell
February 21 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Four Short Plays set in ancient Greece and Rome
Step into the world of gods, heroes, and classic hijinks with SBR’s upcoming production of four unique and thrilling tales from the mythic times of ancient Greece and Rome, with satyrs, epic Trojan plots, and plenty of humor and adventure. Greco-Roman Myths & Mischief, Four Epic Escapades by local playwright Nick Schweitzer, directed by Jasmine Ridler, will be playing at the Bartell Theatre February 21 – March 1. Information and tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
Even before epic stories were told in the Greek theater, Homer and other bards were reciting and singing the heroic and tragic stories of the Trojan War, which most likely occurred around 1200 BCE. “Helen of Troy, Pretext for War” provides a novel psychological explanation for her flight that precipitated the conflict. The stories of the Trojan War, of which the Iliad is but one, were transmitted orally until written down around 800 BCE. “A Song of Troy” imagines the first time one of Homer’s songs was committed to paper (or parchment).
Around 600-500 BCE, the western theater tradition developed in what is now Greece out of dances and choral recitations to which individual speakers were added, first one, then two, then three. All of the epic Greek tragic plays were written as tetralogies, three serious plays followed by a humorous, even farcical, satyr play. The most famous Greek cycle of three tragic plays, written by Aeschylus, tells the story of Orestes, who murdered his mother, because she murdered his father, because he murdered their daughter, and the cycle is collectively referred to as the Oresteia. The satyr play of the Oresteia has never been found, but “Orestes in the Underworld” fills that deficit.
The Romans venerated the earlier Greek culture, copying it in many ways, including adopting Greek theater architecture and traditions, along with almost all of its many gods, with or without changed names. The Roman playwrights penned some notable comedies, and Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors combines the plots of two plays by Plautus. “Touched by the Gods” illustrates the role that the anthropomorphic Greek and Roman gods played in people’s lives. As Jupiter says, “We are the anger, fear, debauchery, fidelity, tranquility, and lust that motivate your puny human lives.”
For further information, contact
Nick Schweitzer, jnschweitzer@gmail.com, 608-692-8002,
or Jasmine Ridler, jasmine.lucille.ridler@gmail.com, 330-419-9166.
