Subject Guides: Classics: Theatre

Roman theatre in Bosra, Syria
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Terracotta Comic Theatre Mask, 4th/3rd century BC
© Giovanni Dall'Orto
[image source]

Choregos and Actors, Roman Mosaic
[image source]

Understand Your Topic

The first step is to make sure you understand the topic. Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question to help you develop a search strategy

Use encyclopedias and dictionaries for Classics to find definitions and background information

A Companion to Greek Tragedy (ed. J. Gregory)
The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Comedy (ed. Michael Fontaine and Adele C. Scafuro)
The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature
Oxford Bibliographies Online: Classics
Annotated bibliographies by scholars

Check for High-Demand items by course code (about High Demand )
Find course material on AKO | LEARN.

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Use the Browse Alphabetically: By Author search (e.g., Sophocles) to find primary sources.
Note that the Library Catalogue does not use abbreviated book titles. If your reading list uses abbreviation like CAH, you will need to type 'Cambridge Ancient History' in full.
Click the Subject Headings of useful titles to find books on related subjects. Some relevant subject headings are
Browse the library shelves in the classification sequences for Theatre.

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Citation Chaining

Finding Ebooks

Find Journal Articles

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Sometimes the titles of journals in lists of Classics references have been abbreviated, making them hard to find on the Library catalogue. Here is a list of abbreviations along with the full titles that should be used in the Library catalogue.

To find articles on your specific topic, use Citation Chaining and search in the recommended Classics databases

Journal:

Didaskalia: The Journal for Ancient Performance
“A peer-reviewed electronic journal dedicated to the study of all aspects of ancient Greek and Roman performance”

Theatre – Central Library, Level 6

PA 3131–3238	Greek literary history: Drama
PA 3520–3564	Greek literature: Criticism, interpretation, etc.
PA 3545–3553	Greek drama–Textual criticism
PA 3825–3849	Aeschylus
PA 3973–3992	Euripides
PA 4413–4434	Sophocles
PA 6067–6075	Roman literary history: Drama
PA 6141–6144	Roman literature: Criticism, interpretation, etc.
PA 6143	Roman drama–Textual criticism
PA 6568–6609	Plautus – Central Library, Level 4
PA 6664, PA 6685–6686	Seneca: Tragedies – Central Library, Level 4
PA 6755–6785	Terence – Central Library, Level 4

Find Websites: Theatre

APGRD: Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (University of Oxford, Classics Centre)
A research project that investigates the performance of ancient texts in any medium and any period, from Greek tragedy to Roman epic, from stage to screen, from antiquity to the present day
Skenotheke: Images of the Ancient Stage (John Porter, University of Saskatchewan)
Links to images of the ancient stage available on the Internet. Access via the Wayback Machine.

Abbreviations

Greek Author Abbreviations (Stoa Consortium)
Online version of Liddell and Scott’s list
Oxford Classical Dictionary (4th ed.) – Abbreviations [via Internet Archive]

Texts and/or Translations

Greek and Roman Materials (Perseus Digital Library)
LATO: The Library of Ancient Texts Online (Peter Gainsford)
Catalogue of online copies of ancient Greek texts, both in Greek and in translation
Scaife Viewer (Perseus 5.0)
“A reading environment for pre-modern text collections in both their original languages and in translation. It is the first phase of work towards the next version of the Perseus Digital Library, Perseus 5.0” A brief user guide: Help with Ancient Texts: Perseus 5.0 Viewer Overview (The Library of Antiquity)

Theatre

Ancient Greece – Greatest Show on Earth (ETV; each episode ca. 60 mins; Tern Television, UK)
Classicist Michael Scott explores the history of Greek drama and theatre.
Episode 1, Democrats – Episode 2, Kings – Episode 3, Romans
Antigone: The Ancient Greek Chorus (ETV; 6 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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This film offers a brief introduction to the ancient Greek chorus from Edith Hall, before Polly Findlay speaks about her contemporary interpretation of the chorus in Don Taylor’s translation of Antigone for the National Theatre’s Olivier theatre in 2012. This short film contains interviews with dramaturge Ben Power and actor Michael Grady-Hall as well as excerpts of archive footage from the 2012 production.
Bacchai (2002): Masks and Movement (ETV; 3 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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Professor Edith Hall explores the use of masks and movement in Peter Hall’s 2002 production of Euripides’ Bacchai, designed by Alison Chitty with music composed by Harrison Birtwistle
An Introduction to Greek Comedy and Satyr Drama (ETV; 7 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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A short film about Greek Comedy and Satyr Drama, discussing the festival of Dionysus, the original performance conditions and how the style of these shows differ from Greek Tragedy. Featured in this video: Professor Edith Hall, Dr Sean McEvoy, Professor Alan Sommerstein, Dr Laura Swift
An Introduction to Greek Theatre (ETV; 7 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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Featured in this film are experts Edith Hall, professor of Classics at Kings College, London, Laura Swift from the Open University, Dr Sean McElvoy from Varndean College, Brighton and actor Michael Grady-Hall from the cast of Antigone. The film includes performance footage from the 2012 National Theatre production of Antigone
An Introduction to Greek Tragedy (ETV; 7 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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This film explores the defining aspects of Greek tragedy and why the plays resonate with audiences today. Featured in this film are experts Edith Hall, professor of Classics at Kings College, London, Laura Swift from the Open University and Dr Sean McElvoy from Varndean College, Brighton. This film includes performance footage from the 2012 National Theatre production of Antigone, directed by Polly Findlay, starring Christopher Eccleston as Creon and Jodie Whittaker in the title role.
Oedipus (2008): Set Design (ETV; 2 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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Professor Edith Hall talks about Paul Brown’s set design for the 2008 production of Sophocles’ Oedipus, directed by Jonathan Kent
The Oresteia (1981): From Epidaurus to the Olivier (ETV; 2 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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Professor Oliver Taplin discusses the staging of the 1981 production of Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, directed by Peter Hall and performed in both the Olivier Theatre in London and at Epidaurus in Greece
The Oresteia (1981): Music and Language (ETV; 2 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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Professor Oliver Taplin explains the significance of music and poetry in Peter Hall’s 1981 production of Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, which used Tony Harrison's translation of the text and music composed by Harrison Birtwistle
The Oresteia (1981): The Use of Masks (ETV; 2 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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Professor Oliver Taplin explores the use of masks in the choruses of Peter Hall’s 1981 production of Aeschylus’ The Oresteia. The masks used in the production were designed by Jocelyn Herbert
The Oresteia (1999): Design Concepts (ETV; 3 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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Professor Oliver Taplin discusses elements of production design in Katie Mitchell’s 1999 version of Aeschylus’s The Oresteia
The Oresteia (1999): The Use of Multimedia (ETV; 2 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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Professor Oliver Taplin describes how live video projection formed part of Katie Mitchell’s 1999 production of The Oresteia in the Cottesloe theatre
Women of Troy (2007): Stage Design (ETV; 4 mins; National Theatre, UK)
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Professor Edith Hall discusses Katie Mitchell’s staging for the 2007 production of Euripides’ Women of Troy in the Lyttelton Theatre, exploring archive images of Bunny Christie’s designs for the production

Library Subject Guides

Classics: Theatre