“Roman Comedy in Performance” is a four-week college and university teachers institute for twenty-five participants to study and perform Roman comedy. The institute, co-directed by Sharon James (Classics and Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and Timothy Moore (Classics, University of Texas, Austin), aims to increase scholarly understanding of the ancient contexts and practices of the plays of Plautus and Terence and to provide practical experience in performance of these plays. “Roman comedy should be widely read, taught, and staged,” the directors argue, noting “it is part of Roman history, and had a significant influence on European theater. It offers vantage points for the study of Rome that are not available elsewhere.” Morning sessions focus on discussion of scholarly issues in Roman comedy, ranging from the physical locations of Roman performance spaces to the social make-up of the ancient audiences, to the meaning of such elements as rape and slave torture in the plays themselves—all subjects of current debate in the academy. In the afternoons, participants work in groups on aspects of performance of specific scenes, experimenting with translation, music, use of masks, costuming, modern vs. ancient staging, and performance in Latin. The co-directors are joined by distinguished scholars in Classics and performance studies, including Sander Goldberg and Amy Richlin (University of California, Los Angeles), C.W. Marshall (University of British Columbia), Niall Slater (Emory University), Mary-Kay Gamel (University of California, Santa Cruz), Anne Groton (St. Olaf College), John Starks (State University of New York, Binghamton), and George Franko (Hollins University). An accomplished composer and specialist on Roman comedy, Ted Gellar-Goad, composes original music for the performances.
