The Laboratory Contemporary of ancient culture 2019/2020 is dedicated to the study of Elena of Euripides and to some of the most significant ‘variations on the myth’: Egyptian Elena by Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Elena by Ghiannis Ritsos. The study of the texts will be accompanied by the analysis of recent and significant staging: Elena, directed by Davide Livermore, INDA 2019, ancient theater of Syracuse; Elena egizia / Die ägyptische Helena, directed by Sven-Eric Bechtolf, Teatro alla Scala di Milano, 2019. The analysis will focus on dramaturgical, directorial, acting, scenographic issues and problems, and on matters relating to ancient and contemporary theatrical spaces. This part of the syllabus will be supported by video material and photos.
Students will be asked to try a theatrical rewrite on Elena and to identify a place in Sardinia for its hypothetical staging, critically motivating the choice of the indicated theatrical space - ancient or contemporary -. The best rewritings will be published on the website Visioni del tragico. La tragedia greca sulla scena italiana dal 2001 a oggi. www.visionideltragico.it
