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This work examines actors and their popular reception from the origins of theatre in Classical Greece to the Roman Empire. The book presents a highly original viewpoint into several new and contested fields of study and offers a systematic survey of evidence for the spread of theatre outside Athens.
List of contents
List of illustrations vi
Preface viii
List of abbreviations xiii
1 A Portrait of the Artist I: Theater-Realistic Art in Athens, 500-330 BC 1
2 A Portrait of the Artist II: Theater-Realistic Art in the Greek West, 400-300 BC 38
3 The Spread of Theater and the Rise of the Actor 83
4 Kallippides on the Floor Sweepings: The Limits of Realism in Classical Acting 117
5 Cooking with Menander: Slices from the Ancient Home Entertainment Industry? 140
6 The Politics of Privatization: A Short History of the Privatization of Drama from Classical Athens to Early Imperial Rome 168
Bibliography 205
Index 227
About the author
Eric Csapo is Professor of Classics at the University of Sydney, Australia. An expert in ancient drama and in the material, social and economic history of the ancient theatre, Csapo is the author of
Theories of Mythology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005) and co-editor of
Context of Ancient Drama (with W. J. Slater, 1995) and
The Origins of Theater in Ancient Greece and Elsewhere: From Ritual to Drama (with M. Miller, 2006).
Summary
Actors and Icons of the Ancient Theater examines actors and their popular reception from the origins of theater in Classical Greece to the Roman Empire.
Report
"Csapo's book covers an impressive range of different topics and periods in ancient theatrical history." (The Times Literary Supplement, 8 July 2011)
"No scholar of the ancient theater can afford to ignore the arguments put forward in this stimulating and exciting book." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 1 April 2011)
"Csapo provides an excellent collection of Oxford lectures (all revised) that rehearse and challenge old evidence and preconceived theories on the history and image of actors from classical Greece to early imperial Rome...What sets this book apart from similar work is its superb collection and socioeconomic study of extant ancient artifacts. This is a fascinating read of the ancient world and the dynamic relationships between its theatre, politics, and popular culture." (Choice, January 2011)
"Actors and Icons is a compelling account of the development of acting in antiquity, taking actors all the way from adjuncts (hypokritai who 'answer' the chorus), to famous, favoured members of the imperial circle." (Scholia Reviews, 1 October 2010)
