For the Romans, much of life was seen, expressed and experienced as a form of theatre. In their homes, patrons performed the lead, with a supporting cast of residents and visitors. This sumptuously illustrated book, the result of extensive interdisciplinary research, is the first to investigate, describe and show how ancient Roman houses and villas, in their décor, spaces, activities and function, could constitute highly-theatricalised environments, indeed, a sort of 'living theatre'. Their layout, purpose and use reflected and informed a culture in which theatre was both a major medium of entertainment and communication and an art form drawing upon myths exploring the core values and beliefs of society. For elite Romans, their homes, as veritable stage-sets, served as visible and tangible expressions of their owners' prestige, importance and achievements. The Roman home was a carefully crafted realm in which patrons displayed themselves, while 'stage-managing' the behaviour and responses of visitor-spectators.

"This sumptuously illustrated book, the result of extensive interdisciplinary research, is the first to explore, describe and illustrate how ancient Roman houses and villas, in their décor, spaces, activities and function, were highly-theatricalised environments, indeed, a sort of 'living theatre'. Their layout, purpose, and use reflected and informed a culture in which theatre was both a major medium of entertainment and communication, and an art form drawing upon myths expressing the core values and beliefs of ancient society. For elite Romans, their homes - as veritable stage-sets - served as a major visible and tangible expression of their prestige, importance, and achievement. The Roman home was a carefully crafted realm in which to display themselves, while 'stage-managing' the behaviour and responses of visitor-spectators"--

Living Theatre: A History conveys the excitement and variety of theatre throughout time, as well as the dynamic way in which our interpretation of theatre history is informed by contemporary scholarship. Rather than presenting readers with a mere catalog of historical facts and figures, it sets each period in context through an exploration of the social, political and economic conditions of the day, creating a vivid study of the developments in theatre during that time.

A history of theater, providing background information on each theatrical era from Ancient Greece through the late twentieth century, and discussing the activities and accomplishments of playwrights, performers, managers, architects, and designers.

Classicists have long wondered what everyday life was like in ancient Greece and Rome. How, for example, did the slaves, visitors, inhabitants or owners experience the same home differently? And how did owners manipulate the spaces of their homes to demonstrate control or social hierarchy? To answer these questions, Hannah Platts draws on a diverse range of evidence and an innovative amalgamation of methodological approaches to explore multisensory experience – auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory and visual – in domestic environments in Rome, Pompeii and Herculaneum for the first time, from the first century BCE to the second century CE. Moving between social registers and locations, from non-elite urban dwellings to lavish country villas, each chapter takes the reader through a different type of room and offers insights into the reasons, emotions and cultural factors behind perception, recording and control of bodily senses in the home, as well as their sociological implications. Multisensory Living in Ancient Rome will appeal to all students and researchers interested in Roman daily life and domestic architecture.

Provides a general account of the Roman theater and its audience, and records some of the results of the author's experiments in constructing a full-scale replica stage based upon the wall paintings at Pompeii and Herculaneum, and producing Roman plays upon it.

While there is clearly no dearth of material on Greek theatre, until now no systematic effort has been made to integrate the Classical tradition with our modern perceptions and adaptations of it. Professor Walton's unique guide to Greek drama takes on this task, bringing together a wealth of information on Athenian tragedy and comedy as performed and appreciated in its own time and as embodied on the modern stage. The introductory section highlights some of the characteristic features of Greek tragedy and comedy and suggests how and under what conditions plays were first performed. The following section consists of analyses of the thirty-three surviving plays attributed to Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Each essay provides information on dates, characters, size of roles, and plot, together with an assessment of staging problems and a review of dramatic and theatrical qualities. The section concludes with a discussion of the influence of Greek tragic tradition on Roman drama.