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Hypertheatre: Contemporary Radical Adaptation of Greek Tragedy investigates the adaptation of classical drama for the contemporary stage and explores its role as an active, polemical form of theatre which addresses present-day issues.
The book's premise is that by breaking drama into constituent parts, revising, reinterpreting and rewriting to create a new, culturally and politically relevant construct, the process of adaptation creates a 'hyperplay', newly repurposed for the contemporary world. This process is explored through a diverse collection of postmodern adaptations of Antigone, Medea, and The Trojan Women, analysing their adaptive strategies and the evidence of how these remakings reflect the cultures of which they are a part. Central to this study is the idea that each of these adaptations becomes an entirely new play, redefining its central female figures and invoking reconfigurations of femininity which emphasise individual women's strengths and female solidarity.
Written for scholars of Theatre, Adaptation, Performance Studies, and Literature, Hypertheatre places the Greek classics firmly within a contemporary feminist discourse.
List of contents
1. Athenian Theatre and Radical Postmodern Theatrical Adaptation 2. Who Does Antigone Belong To? Who Does Antigone Speak To? 3. Medea Adapted: The Subaltern Barbarian Speaks 4. The Women of Troy Adapted: Victims of Wars Reclaim Their Broken Bodies
About the author
Olga Kekis is an independent scholar who holds a PhD in Drama from the University of Birmingham, UK. Her research interests include the theory and practice of Theatrical Adaptation, Theatre History and Museum Theatre. She has published in edited collections and theatre journals and has presented at IFTR and TaPRA as well as other national and international meetings.
Summary
Hypertheatre: Contemporary Radical Adaptation of Greek Tragedy investigates the adaptation of classical drama for the contemporary stage and explores its role as an active, polemical form of theatre which addresses present-day issues.
Additional text
"Kekis's documentation of these companies and productions is both important and exemplary, so the book will be valuable in scholarly circles, particularly for those working on similar research projects." - J. C. Jaffe, Lake Erie College, CHOICE AWARD HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
