Editorial
Sallie Goetsch
Department of Classical Studies
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor,
MI 48109-1003,
U.S.A.
The question of what constitutes performance has yet to be
answered. With a little ingenuity, almost any activity can be
construed as performance. But it by no means requires the talents
of a sophist to demonstrate that performance was much more
common in antiquity than it is in the study of antiquity. Most of
Greek literature, and not a little of Latin, was presented to its
original audience as a performance. Add to that the performing arts
which we know existed but which made use of no written text,
such as Atellan farce and pantomime, and a picture emerges of a
world much more 'theatrical' than a collection of Oxford Classical
Texts would ever suggest.
In moving 'Beyond Spoken Drama,' the editors of Didaskalia
have attempted to bring the performance aspect of genres other than
comedy, tragedy, and satyr-play, and the non-dialogue aspects of
drama, to the forefront. Issue 2's features include a
composer/music director's retrospective on music for Roman
comedy, a description of the life and art of a pantomime, synopses
of several lectures on offstage theatricality, and a testimony that
oral recitation of ancient poetry is alive and well among the
members of CAMWS. Also worthy of note in this context are
Steven Lonsdale's Dance and Ritual Play in Greek Religion and
the performance of Catullus 63--with a cast of 30--which took
place at the Classical Association in Exeter. The International
Society for the Study of Greek and Roman Music is flourishing
and beginning to bring the research projects of its members to our
attention.
We hope that the projects described in this issue will encourage
others to try putting less traditional material onto the stage. Not
only would such ventures engage the attention of students, they
would force us, as scholars, to approach texts from a different
perspective. Performance criticism has made a tremendous
difference to our understanding of drama; it might similarly affect
our understanding of other forms of poetry. And, as the Exeter
Catullus production shows, 'non-dramatic' poetry is viable and
interesting when staged. Even though we have very little evidence
of the forms of the original spectacles, we usually have enough
testimony to lead us to creative cultural borrowings. The Seraikella
Chau of India, for instance, is noted for many of the same qualities
which distinguished Greco-Roman pantomime. If a work resonates
for us in printed form, will it not be even more effective on its feet?
That issue is one which we will take up again, in a slightly different
way, in Issue 3 at the beginning of August. The question there is
what makes a translation into a script, and several translators will
provide their answers and samples of their work.
We have included a new section, the Suggestion Box, so
subscribers can tell us where they'd like to see Didaskalia
heading in the future. As always, listings and reviews will be
welcome, as are responses to anything published in previous
issues. Guidelines for contributors may be found at the end of this
issue.
Sallie Goetsch
Please send suggestions for features, and letters to the editors, to the Editor.