Bacchides stars Jim Hanson, Michael Katchmer, Laura Lippman, and Meredith Safran. Extras: Mike Lippman, Tim Moore. For the Latin version, Tony Sprinkle performed clarinet music composed by T. H. M. Gellar-Goad. For the English version, Angela Horchem performed on piano.
The videos are embedded here, and the links will take you to YouTube, for the accompanying text and information. The YouTube video texts also have the link to this page. Tutoring in meter by the comedy/music guru Tim Moore!
The videos are embedded here, and the links will take you to YouTube, for the accompanying text and information. The YouTube video texts also have the link to this page.
Latin version—sing along with the cast!
English version—join us for melodrama!
Excellent work, everyone! I took Dr. James's Women in Greece and Rome course back in 2005, and now in reading Greek and Roman thinkers and discussing the undiscussable (rape) as a PhD student of Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design at Clemson, I couldn't help but turn back to the plays Dr. James introduced, especially this one and Plautus's The Mother-In-Law.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, when I began my search for the plays I was remembering in pieces, I initially searched "Roman tragedy" before remembering that these rape plays are actually comedies, quite the critique on how the human mind categorizes things. Your work here speaks to some very important issues. One is the context of the rape and how that is viewed culturally; the unfortunate rhetoric on "legitimate rape" of late has been very unsettling. The worst part is that I don't think it constitutes a step backward, but rather reveals that some people have never progressed in their assumptions on the subject from ancient times. I'm not sure that viewing these plays would help them, but this is a great way to bring up the topic in a different context.
Another issue of particular interest to me is how this play and your performance of it treats trauma. Not only are many of the characters experiencing the trauma of the play's events and the audience experiencing the same vicariously, but you the players are also potentially traumatized in the necessity of putting on the play, particularly this difficult scene. I fully understand your choice of melodrama to cope with this problem, to soften the blow and privilege the intellectual over the visceral. It is supposed to be a comedy, after all, though it is significantly plain from your presentation here that comedy is often a thin veil over tragedy.
Thank you for this, and keep it up!