Greek Tragedy: Final Project

General Instructions: These papers should be typed or word processed; they should be clearly and grammatically written and proofread. You may wish to accompany the letters by drawings, sketches, photos, etc. but this is not required. Give these papers to the faculty secretary (Castle basement), who will collect them for me in a special envelope, no later than 4:00 pm on December 23. Do not leave these papers in my office or campus mailbox.

Description of Project: Choose one of the plays studied in the course that you think would be particularly appealing and meaningful to a modern audience. Take the role of producer of a contemporary performance of this play, assuming that money is no object. On December 23, submit a packet of materials about your production, including the following items:

1. a letter wooing financial backers for your production, explaining why you have chosen this particular play and dealing with such matters as theme and universal meaning. Explain your overall vision for this production and why you think this way of presenting the play will be especially attractive and meaningful for today's audiences.
2. instructions to the casting supervisor suggesting possible actors (since this is an imaginative exercise, death is no object—you may include both living and deceased actors). Justify your choice of each actor by analyzing the personality, motivations, and characterization of the role you wish him/her to play.
3. instructions to the director on how to structure the play in order to bring out what you see as the major symbolism and themes of the play.
4. instructions to the stage manager regarding staging of the play, including the set, the costumes, and any special effects.
5. a letter to the advertising agency with suggestions on how to publicize the play, stressing its appeal for modern audiences.

There is no maximum limit on the number of pages for this project, but you will need at least 5 single-spaced typed pages to fulfill the assignment, and I would expect that some of your letters or instruction sheets will be longer than one page.

Some Useful Links: two articles speculating about the reasons why Greek tragedies still appeal to modern audiences, and some contemporary productions of Greek tragedies:

• “The GreekTragedy: Doom Is Booming. The Tales Are Brutal. Is It Our Fate to Watch?” by Lloyd Rose, Washington Post, 20 December 1998: G2
• “Victims and Agents: What Greek tragedy can teach us about sympathy and responsibility” (Martha C. Nussbaum, Boston Review)
• Didaskalia: Ancient Theater Today. Consult issues of the journal, which contain articles about or reviews of modern performances or the listing of current performances based on ancient plays
• The Oresteia (modern production at the Playhouse Theater, University of Washington)
• The Oresteia: World Premiere of Translation By Peter Meineck, lighting design by Ann Courtney (photos of modern production, University of South Carolina)
• The Oresteia (photos from modern production by American Repertory Theater, at Loeb Drama Center, Harvard University)
• “Greek tragedy receives a ‘Gospel’ revival during visit to Ann Arbor” (Lawrence B. Johnson, Detroit News 15 January 1999)
• “‘Antigone’ Packs Contemporary Bite” (review of a contemporary performance by Philip Brandes, Los Angeles Times 29 September 1995)
• Women of Trachis (modern performance at Concordia University); review by M.C. Bolton (Didaskalia 1.5, 1994)
• Curtain Raiser: Electra (description of upcoming production of Electra by the Theater School at DePaul University)
• “Medea Blitz: Be Aware of Greeks Bearing Gifts,” by Sam Whitehead (interview with Neketi Kontouri, director of National Theater of Greece's modern production of Medea, who discusses the play's contemporary appeal)
• Medea: The Musical (recent production in Los Angeles)
• Medea (modern performance at Trent University)
• Marie Christine, a new musical by John LaChiusa, loosely based on Euripides’ Medea and set in 1890s New Orleans and Chicago, now playing at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center, Manhattan.
• The Bacchae (modern production by American Repertory Theater at Loeb Drama Center)—includes production photos, interview with director and designer, and review from Boston Phoenix
• “Bacchae blends new science, ancient drama by Katie Grove (The Technique, Winter 1998)—describes Georgia Tech performance of the Bacchae that integrates multimedia with the drama