The Reception of Attic Drama in Modern Times: An Outline

This article suggests that the history of the performative revival of Attic theatre in post-revolutionary Greece of the 19th century, with numerous native variations and transformations—which justifiably paves the way for particularly audacious attempts at reconstitution and, on fortunate occasions, successful restaging of ancient performances during the immediately following tumultuous century—serves, on the one hand, as an enlightening reflection of the turbulent historical development of post-revolutionary Greece and, on the other hand, as a resonant sounding board for various theoretical configurations concerning the comprehensive study of Athenian theatre in the wider world. It is well-known that the global community has embraced with genuine enthusiasm the rich theatrical legacy of the ancient Greeks. As a happy consequence, on a universal scale, productions of Attic plays have proliferated to such an extent that more ancient Greek dramas have been staged in recent decades than during these past few centuries.