WARWICK ANCIENT DRAMA FESTIVAL
Aeschylus The Persians 25-26 JANUARY 2024
Generously funded by the British Academy
We are pleased to announce that the Warwick Ancient Drama Festival will return in January 2024. After Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex in 2020, Euripides’ Bacchae in 2022, and Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen in 2023, this year will see Aeschylus’ Warwick debut. The Department of Classics and Ancient History would like to invite students and teachers to enjoy a performance of *The Persians*, the earliest surviving Greek tragedy and the only one to draw its plot from historical events, together with assorted talks and lectures from scholars of Greek drama. The festival will take place on the 25th and the 26th January 2024, with the 26th January specifically dedicated to schools. The play itself, presented in the newly-renovated theatre of the Warwick Arts Centre, will be directed and produced by the Classics students at Warwick – follow them at https://www.instagram.com/warwickclassicsplay/?hl=en. There will be three performances: one on Thursday 25th January, at 7.00pm, and two on Friday 26th January (3.30pm, 7.00pm). The performance on Thursday 25th January will be preceded (at 6.00pm) by a public lecture given by Dr Emmanuela Bakola, titled ‘Watching Aeschylus’ Persians in performance’. Tickets for individual bookings for the Thursday and the Friday evening performances are priced at £6, and are available for booking https://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/whats-on/3yj-aeschylus-the-persians/ Supporting the matinee performance on Friday 26th (3.30pm), the Department is offering a series of lectures, discussions, and seminars specifically for school students, and designed to link in with Greek, Classical Civilisation, Ancient History, Drama, and English syllabuses at GCSE and A-Level. However, no previous knowledge of the play or subject area will be expected. All participants will be able to attend two introductory 20-minute lectures in the morning (11.00):- Dr Emmanuela Bakola, ’Introduction to Greek theatre and festivals’
- Dr Paul Grigsby, ‘The historical context of Aeschylus’ Persians’
- Dr Xavier Buxton, ‘Fear and the feminine in Aeschylus’ Persians’
- Professor David Fearn, ‘How do we talk about the imagery of Aeschylus?’ (seminar)
- Dr Emmanuela Bakola ‘Watching Aeschylus’ Persians in performance’
- the number of participants, including teachers
- which of the afternoon talks you wish your pupils to attend.