Reclaiming Greek Drama for Diverse Audiences: An Anthology of Adaptations and Interviews

Reclaiming Greek Drama for Diverse Audiences features the work of Native-American, African-American, Asian-American, Latinx, and LGBTQ theatre artists who engage with social justice issues in seven adaptations of Sophocles’ Antigone, Euripides’ Trojan Women, Hippolytus, Bacchae, Alcestis, and Aristophanes’ Frogs, as well as a work inspired by the myth of the Fates. Performed between 1989 and 2017 in small theatres across the US, these contemporary works raise awareness about the trafficking of Native-American women, marriage equality, gender justice, women’s empowerment, the social stigma surrounding HIV, immigration policy, and the plight of undocumented workers. The accompanying interviews provide a fascinating insight into the plays, the artists’ inspiration for them, and the importance of studying classics in the college classroom. Readers will benefit from an introduction that discusses practical ways to teach the adaptations, ideas for assignments, and the contextualization of the works within the history of classical reception. Serving as a key resource on incorporating diversity into the teaching of canonical texts for Classics, English, Drama and Theatre Studies students, this anthology is the first to present the work of a range of contemporary theatre artists who utilize ancient Greek source material to explore social, political, and economic issues affecting a variety of underrepresented communities in the US.

Table of Contents:
Introduction - Melinda Powers; 1 Numunu Waiipunu (The Comanche Women) (based on Euripides’ Trojan Women) - Terry Gomez; Interview with Terry Gomez - Shane Breaux; 2 The Bacchae (an all-male adaptation of Euripides' Bacchae) - Allain Rochel; Interview with Allain Rochel - Shane Breaux; 2 The Wrath of Aphrodite (based on Euripides’ Hippolytus) - Tim O’Leary; Interview with Tim O’Leary - Melinda Powers; 3 Honey I’m Home: The Alcestis Story (based on Euripides’ Alcestis); Interview with Lois Weaver - Melinda Powers; 4 Riot Antigone (after Sophocles’ Antigone); Interview with Seonjae Kim - Kiara Rolon, Marco Grazide, Nakiah Williams, Vijaya Bandu, and Melinda Powers; 5 Dancing with the Clown of Love (Written, produced and performed by Cultural Odyssey’s The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women in collaboration with UC San Francisco’s HIV Women’s Clinic); Interview with Rhodessa Jones - Melinda Powers; 6 Sapo (Inspired by Aristophanes' The Frogs) by Richard Montoya for Culture Clash; Interview with Richard Montoya - Melinda Powers

About the Author :
Melinda Powers is a Professor at The City University of New York (CUNY), USA.