Contemporary directing approaches to the classical Athenian chorus: The blood of Atreus

Abstract

The theory suggests that the masked chorus in classical Greek tragedy sang and danced and represented the ritualistic and political nature of Athenian society. No manual defining the employment of these elements in performance survives. Therefore, directors must construct their own visions of the ancient Greek elements for contemporary performance. This study surveys theory concerning the functions of choral conventions in their original context. Then, treatments of costume, mask, movement, music, and text in contemporary productions of the Oresteia follow. The Oresteia is used for comparison because the chorus is an important character in the action and the mythological issues are relevant to the present. Productions by directors Peter Hall, Ariane Mnouchkine, Peter Stein, and Garland Wright are examined for their interpretations of ritualistic aura, textual concerns, and visual appearance. The variant approaches explore the possibilities of shaping innovative and relevant choruses for contemporary productions of Athenian tragedy.