Black Dionysus

Greek Tragedy and African American Theatre

Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.

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English

McFarland and Company
01 April 2003

Theatre Studies; Literary studies: plays & playwrights; Black & Asian studies

Many playwrights, authors, poets and historians have used images, metaphors and references to and from Greek tragedy, myth and epic to describe the African experience in the New World. The complex relationship between ancient Greek tragedy and modern African American theatre is primarily rooted in America, where the connection between ancient Greece and ancient Africa is explored and debated the most.

The different ways in which Greek tragedy has been used by playwrights, directors and others to represent and define African American history and identity are explored in this work. Two models are offered for an Afro-Greek connection: Black Orpheus, in which the Greek connection is metaphorical, expressing the African in terms of the European; and Black Athena, in which ancient Greek culture is ""reclaimed"" as part of an Afrocentric tradition.

African American adaptations of Greek tragedy on the continuum of these two models are then discussed, and plays by Peter Sellars, Adrienne Kennedy, Lee Breuer, Rita Dove, Jim Magnuson, Ernest Ferlita, Steve Carter, Silas Jones, Rhodessa Jones and Derek Walcott are analyzed. The concepts of colorblind and nontraditional casting and how such practices can shape the reception and meaning of Greek tragedy in modern American productions are also covered.

By: Kevin J. Wetmore Jr.
Imprint: McFarland and Company
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 14mm
Weight: 363g
ISBN: 9780786415458
ISBN 10: 0786415452
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 01 April 2003
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Black Dionysus: Greek Tragedy and African American Theatre

fascinating...essential --Choice immensely informed and carefully researched...excellent...fascinating analysis...informative and engaging...highly enlightening...sensitive and original, with fresh insights...useful...invaluable...captivating...an important tool --Obsidian III.