Monday, October 18, 2021

On the Topic of Antigone's Performance History...

The most interesting part of learning about Antigone's performance history was hearing about the circumstances around which the stage plays were performed in the first place.

It was amazing to hear that the Sanctuary of Dionysus, where Antigone would be performed, was such a well-developed viewing area. Hearing that the seating capacity was roughly fifteen thousand was incredible, as modern sports coliseums can only house up to four times that amount; I was convinced that due to technological limitations coupled with generally lower populations would necessitate a much lower number of viewers, but I stood corrected.

Frankly, the amphitheater naturally allows for better sound dispersion through the audience, but I still can't understand how a stage play could be audibly heard by an audience that could hold fifteen thousand people without some sort of projection technology. I'd have to assume that the issue wasn't solved just by having the actors talk louder, because that would require an absurd set of lungs.

Additionally, it was fascinating to hear that Antigone was performed as part of a festival, funded by the state. This context as to why Antigone was based around Thebes rather than Athens is somewhat indicative of the extent to which media and art is allowed to critique government, and how draconian this nature has been and will always be.

Apart from that, the description of the view from the Sanctuary of Dionysus sounds vibrant; being able to see the harbor on a clear day indicates a high elevation, fitting for a sanctuary devoted to a god.


1 comment:

  1. Yes it's fascinating to visualize the space of the theatre and to imagine being at the performance.

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