The Stagecraft and Performance of Roman Comedy

Description

A comprehensive survey of Roman theatrical production, this book examines all aspects of Roman performance practice, and provides fresh insights on the comedies of Plautus and Terence. Following an introductory chapter on the experience of Roman comedy from the perspective of Roman actors and the Roman audience, addressing among other things the economic concerns of putting on a play in the Roman republic, subsequent chapters provide detailed studies of troupe size and the implications for role assignment, masks, stage action, music, and improvisation in the plays of Plautus and Terence. Marshall argues that Roman comedy was raw comedy, much more rough-and-ready than its Hellenistic precursors, but still fully conscious of its literary past. The consequences of this lead to fresh conclusions concerning the dramatic structure of Roman comedy, and a clearer understanding of the relationship between the plays-as-text and the role of improvisation during performance.

C. W. Marshall is Associate Professor in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia.

"This is not just a history of Roman theater, but a refreshing perspective from which one can reconstruct the circumstances of performance in the Roman world. This book deserves a place alongside histories of the Roman theater." Eleni Bozia, Text & Presentation, 2007; The Comparative Drama Series, 4