Greek Theatre between Antiquity and Independence: A History of Reinvention from the Third Century BC to 1830

This first general history of Greek theatre from Hellenistic times to the foundation of the Modern Greek state in 1830 marks a radical departure from traditional methods of historiography. We like to think of history unfolding continuously, in an evolutionary form, but the story of Greek theatre is rather different. After traditional theatre ended in the sixth and seventh centuries, no traditional drama was written or performed on stage throughout the Greek-speaking world for centuries due to the Orthodox Church's hostile attitude toward spectacles. With the reinvention of theatre in Renaissance Italy, however, Greek theatre was revived in Crete under Venetian rule in the late sixteenth century. The following centuries saw the restoration of Greek theatre at various locations, albeit characterized by numerous ruptures and discontinuities in terms of geography, stylistics, thematic approaches and ideologies. These diverse developments were only 'normalized' with the establishment of the Greek nation state.

About the Author

Walter Puchner is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Theatre Studies at the University of Athens. He has published more than eighty books and about four hundred articles in academic journals. His research interests include the history of theatre in the Balkan peninsula, the comparative folklore and ethnography of the Mediterranean and Southeast Europe, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, as well as the theory of drama and theatre.

Andrew Walker White is an American theatre artist, cultural historian, and theatre critic. As a performer his work embraces everything from Shakespeare and Chekhov to dance theatre and mime; he is a former company member of Source Theatre and Théâtre Le Neon, both in the Washington, DC area. As a historian he has devoted himself to post-classical Greek culture, and especially the theatre and drama of Byzantium, and he has translated key Late Antique and medieval Greek texts. He is also the author of Performing Orthodox Ritual in Byzantium (Cambridge, 2015). A veteran of the Fulbright Program, White has conducted research on site in Greece and Turkey, and has lectured in both the United States and Europe.