New book: Adapting Greek Tragedy: Contemporary Contexts for Ancient Texts

Adaptations of Greek tragedy are increasingly claiming attention as a dynamic way of engaging with a dramatic genre that flourished in Greece some twenty-five centuries ago but remains as vital as ever. Τhe collective volume Adapting Greek Tragedy: Contemporary Contexts for Ancient Texts expected to be available from May 2021 is co-edited by professor Vayos Liapis and associate professor and director Avra Sidiropoulou, both faculty members of the postgraduate programme Theatre Studies of the Open University of Cyprus.

The book brings together articles by fifteen leading scholars and practitioners of the theatre, who systematically discuss contemporary adaptations of Greek tragedy and explore the challenges and rewards involved therein. It highlights important theoretical issues about the ways in which adaptations of ancient Greek tragedy may engage new approaches to a range of contemporary issues, such as our relationship with the classical past, differences in our perceptions of national and cultural identities, as well as the function and value of Greek drama in today’s cultural industries.