In Search of Greek Theatre: four new films released

The video series In Search of Greek Theatre explores stories and objects from the National Theatre’s Archive to learn more about Greek Theatre in performance.

Led by Dr Lucy Jackson, Assistant Professor of Ancient Greek Literature at Durham University, and the NT’s Head of Archive, Erin Lee, these films unpack seminal National Theatre productions of Greek tragedy for anyone with a passion for theatre and the Classics.

The series already hosts films on productions from The Oresteia (1981) to Antigone (2012) and Medea (2014) covering practitioners such as Carrie Cracknell, Polly Findlay, Peter Hall, and Katie Mitchell.

Four new films have now been added to this series:

Episode 7: Bacchae (1973) and Bacchai (2002)

Episode 8: Iphigenia at Aulis (2004)

Episode 9: Philoctetes (1964) and Paradise (2021)

Episode 10: Women of Troy (2007)

The first of the newly added films looks at two productions of Euripides’ Bacchae: an adaptation by Wole Soyinka staged at the Old Vic Theatre in 1973, and Bacchai directed by Peter Hall in the Olivier Theatre in 2002.

This film focuses on the design elements of the productions, the use of masks, and the role of the chorus in Greek plays.

Watch Episode 7 here 

The second film, adding to existing films in the series on Katie Mitchell’s Oresteia productions, looks at Mitchell’s Iphigenia at Aulis staged in the Lyttelton Theatre in 2004.

Jackson and Lee explore how the questions raised in production related to the international politics of the early 2000s, particularly the UK’s invasion of Iraq in 2003. They consider the set and space, design elements, costume, and the role of the chorus in this production.

Watch Episode 8 here 

The third of the new films, focusing on Philoctetes (1964) and Paradise (2021), looks at the different ways these two productions approached the staging of an ancient play in a modern world: Kae Tempest’s reworking of Philoctetes, titled Paradise, in the Olivier Theatre, directed by Ian Rickson, and Keith Johnstone’s adaptation in 1964.

Jackson and Lee focus on the adaptation of an ancient play, the design of the productions, and the role of gender in Tempest’s adaptation.

Watch Episode 9 here 

The final film looks at Katie Mitchell’s Women of Troy, staged in the Lyttelton Theatre in 2007, famous for its powerful portrayal of loss.

Jackson and Lee look at how the artistic team created the world of the play and the role of movement and sound in the production on stage.

Watch Episode 10 here