'(Un)Masking the πόλις: The Pre-Play Ceremonies of the Athenian Great Dionysia as Theatrical Performances?', in: E. Paillard / S. Milanezi (eds), 'Theatre and Metatheatre: Definitions, Problems, Limits', Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2021, pp. 29-62. (original) (raw)
Nothing to Do with the Theatre? 'The shows in the ancient theatre did not only consist of theatrical and other artistic performances. A large variety of other activities, including ritual actions, took place both on the occasion of thymelic and musical competitions and in context of other celebrations. [.. .] Theatre rituals were perhaps not meant to be spectacles; perhaps the theatre was chosen as their setting only because of the advantages it offered in a practical sense (acoustics, seats, large gatherings of people). But the choice of this particular setting, i.e. the space of thea (the watching of spectacles), sooner or later had consequences for the form of the rituals themselves'. 1 The word (as well as the concept of) theatre did not include only dramatic performances, but rather it held together everything that took place in the orchestra. Angelos Chaniotis' assessment sets forth the position that I am going to develop in this chapter regarding the theatrical dimension of the Athenian Great Dionysia's pre-play ceremonies. Unlike Chaniotis, I will focus on the most important period for the Greek theatre and the origins of its pre-play ceremonies: fifth century BC in Athens. It was there that the ritual space of the ceremonies seemingly coincided with the theatrical space of drama for the first time, thus expanding a theatrical programme which would have provided the audience with a mixed set of civic/religious rituals and dramatic performances within the same venue. Such a coincidence in the orchestra invites us to consider the audience perception of and reaction to the spectacle as a whole: for, once having taken their seats, a heterogeneous public attended both performances, the preplay ceremonies and the dramatic plays. Did the spectators consider all of these performances a holistic and coherent set? What made the pre-play ceremonies suitable to the theatrical context (along with its spaces and conventions)? As far as the evidence goes, and despite the importance of this set of problems, no attempt to ask or to answer such questions has been made.
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‘Diffused Performance and Core Performance of Greek Theatre’
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The Pronomos krater undoubtedly marks the high point of the production of Greek 'theatre vases'. However, it is perhaps not exaggerated to maintain that this splendid show piece can at the same time be seen as testimony to and a symptom of a great change or – depending on one's point of view – even a crisis in Athenian theatre culture. With regard to its actual imagery, three aspects are particularly noteworthy. First: in not reproducing a scene from the play, the emphasis is transferred from the impact of the actual theatrical performance to the theatre as an institution; second: the disposition of the protagonists emphasises two sources of authority with Dionysos as the inspiring patron of the theatre and the citizens of the polis as the promoters of the performances; third: the emphasis on the satyr play is explained principally by their visual and semantic effectiveness. While it certainly cannot be said that the Pronomos vase 'has nothing to do with drama', it has, I believe, quite a lot to do with a general development in Classical Athens, one that changed dramatic performances into a stage upon which social distinction and advancement could be acquired. My brief survey of the relevant monuments, choregic and otherwise, is intended to give an idea of the enormous dynamics of this process. In retrospect, the festive gathering on the Pronomos krater represents both the farewell gathering for the theatre as a forum where polis citizens engaged in intellectual exchange, and a welcome party for the theatre as a means of individual self-praise and promotion in the public arena of the city of Athens.
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The much debated topic in classics and theatre studies is still the relationship between Greek religion and theatre. The issue often gets reduced to the search for origins of theatre. Ever since the emergence of the academic disciplines of anthropology, ethnography and archeology, various scholars have postulated that theatre somehow developed out of religious practices. Theory of ritual roots of Athenian drama, supported by the authority of Aristotle, became a cultural commonplace now. Yet not everybody is convinced. Some scholars even argue that religion and theatre are mutually independent, and that the difference between ritual and theatre is as big as between life and description of life, or between the world and thinking about it. But nobody denies that Athenian Theatre of Dionysus was a religious institution. Today, the complex relations between religion and theatre offer a challenge not only to scholars but also to artists. Everyone who attempts to stage ancient Greek drama is confronted with a dilemma of its religious context and form. The topic is still vivid and its meaning for theatre is basic – it concerns the essence of creativity and artistic practice. I propose to look at ritual in theatre from the perspective of a modern producer of ancient drama. My case study will be BIRDS by Aristophanes directed by me in autumn 2002 in Poland (at the Boguslawski Theatre).
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An investigation of the roots of theatre and alternative approaches to understanding the root of one of humanities most cathartic artforms.
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P. Wilson (ed.), The Greek Theatre and Festivals. Documentary Studies, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, 48-66