(Not So) Classical Productions of Peter Sellars: Ajax, Persians
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THE (NOT SO) CLASSICAL PRODUCTIONS OF PETER SELLARS: AJAX, PERSIANS AND CHILDREN OF HERACLES by Marios Kallos B.A.H., National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 2013 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Theatre) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2018 © Marios Kallos, 2018 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, a thesis/dissertation entitled: The (Not So) Classical Productions of Peter Sellars: Ajax, Persians and Children of Heracles submitted by Marios Kallos in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Theatre Examining Committee: Dr. Hallie Marshall Supervisor Supervisory Committee Member Supervisory Committee Member Stephen Heatley Additional Examiner Additional Supervisory Committee Members: Supervisory Committee Member Supervisory Committee Member ii Abstract Peter Sellars’ reperformances of the plays belonging to the ancient Geek canon have always been controversial. Ηis radical choices regarding the performance elements, affected by and directly referencing the sociopolitical context of the time when they were staged, provide important evidence for both understanding the afterlife of classical texts on the modern stage, but also the development of Sellars as a director. More specifically, in the productions of Sophocles’ Ajax (1986), Aeschylus’ Persians (1993) and Euripides’ Children of Herakles (2003), Sellars explores how the ancient Greek tragedies can be staged in such a way as to open channels of communication and how the theatrical space can become an arena of debate, in hopes of creating an active audience, similar to that of fifth century BC Athens, where societal issues could be discussed through performative means. Drawing on reception and performance theories, reviews of the performances, interviews with Sellars and an overview of the sociopolitical context of when the three tragedies were staged, both in antiquity and the contemporary world, this thesis will explore these productions through different methodological lenses, arguing that by applying multiple methodologies we can better understand the productions and their audience reception, as well as the larger theatrical and cultural context in which they were produced. By exploring Sellars’ directorial choices, I will argue that it is not simply about how ancient plays are being reused and restaged, but also what information they can provide us regarding significant trends in contemporary American theatre during the last two decades of the twentieth century. iii Lay Summary The reperformances of the ancient Greek dramas have always been faced with issues of fidelity to the original. Peter Sellars’ controversial productions of plays belonging to the ancient Greek canon⎯ Sophocles’ Ajax (1986), Aeschylus’ Persians (1993), and Euripides’ Children of Herakles (2003)⎯ provide important evidence for both understanding the afterlife of the theatrical texts on the modern stage, as well as the development of Sellars as a director. By examining Sellars’ directorial choices and his view of the ancient Greek theatre as a political arena with a politically active audience, I will provide evidence not only about how the ancient plays can be reused and restaged in different contexts, but also how Sellars’ work reflects the significant theatrical trends of the time. iv Preface This thesis is an original, unpublished, independent work by the author, Marios Kallos v Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................... iii Lay Summary ........................................................................................................................... iv Preface ....................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................vii Dedication .............................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2: When Sellars met the Classics.............................................................................. 19 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Shifting minds and shaping the present ...................................................................... 20 2.3 Reflecting Society (?): The theatrical space in fifth-century Athens ........................... 36 Chapter 3: Creating a total theatrical experience .................................................................. 46 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 46 3.2 To thine own self be true: A text for its audience ....................................................... 46 3.3 Reli(e)ving the Present: Shock and Modern Cultural Images in Ajax, Persians and Children of Heracles ............................................................................................................. 62 3.4 Soundscapes of a higher self ...................................................................................... 88 Chapter 4: Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 96 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................ 99 vi Acknowledgements I am very grateful to the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation for their funding and their constant support throughout my studies which made the materialization of this research possible. I would also like to thank Plato, who showed me the way out of the cave. Nestor, who has always been the voice of reason in my moments of irrationality. My dear friend Lisa, who has been a great friend and support during my studies. My parents for teaching me patience. Stephen Heatley who so kindly agreed to be my second reader. Most of all I offer my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Hallie Marshall without whom none of this would have been possible. Thank you for being a fantastic educator and for offering constant feedback on this work. Thank you for showing me the way, when I thought all was lost. Thank you for all the things, that words cannot even start to describe. vii Dedication To my chosen family viii Chapter 1: Introduction Our task as artists is to put something on stage that reflects the society. Peter Sellars1 Theatre or θέᾶτρον, from the verb θεάομαι-ῶμαι, in ancient Greek carries meanings both of viewing but also reflecting or contemplating.2 Director Peter Sellars’ conception of the role of theatre, as summarized in the epigraph above, carries with it something of this ancient Greek definition of the theatre and what the space was for, as he argues that the audience should see something in the theatre which reflects their own society and encourages contemplation. While this is important for understanding Sellar’s directorial mandate, its significance is not limited to that; it represents not only how Sellars verbalizes his role as a director, but also the agenda which lies behind the production process from beginning to end. Sellars explicitly says that he is putting “something”—a something he leaves undefined—on stage that is in immediate relationship with a current historic-political reality and through which theatre can reclaim its role as a “force of political and social responsibility and understanding and of the need to rise above the literal.”3 It is in this vision of the theatre that Sellars’ interest in the classical originates. This thesis seeks to explore Peter Sellars’ engagement with classical Greek theatre, arguing that in these productions we can on one level identify specific features of Sellars’ theatrical craft and ideology as a director, but on a larger level we can use his work to explore trends in the reception of classical plays in the modern world, including interculturalism and changing representations of bodies and voices on stage. Even though this thesis is concerned 1 Delgado and Heritage (1996) 225. 2 Contemplate, see clearly, view as spectator, see entry in The Online Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon. 3 Delgado (1999) 204. 1 with the appeal of the plays of the ancient Greek canon to Sellars, his theatrical career and his engagement with art in general is as multifaceted as his productions. His directing style has been shaped through an array of different art forms, whether traditional, such as his engagement with opera and puppet theatre, or more mainstream forms, such as his direction of video clips like Hancock’s Hard Rock and his acting appearances in popular tv shows like Miami Vice, as well as more avant garde sources such as Godard’s King Lear.4 Furthermore his artistic direction of large scale theatre festivals, such as those of Los Angeles and Adelaide,