Greek Theater in Ancient Sicily

Provides a new and broader perspective on ancient theater by focusing on its origins and development in Sicily and southern Italy, especially in connection with comedy. Examining the fragments of Epicharmus, cult traditions, vase paintings and theater archaeology, Kathryn G. Bosher explores the link between politics and art on the island.

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Studies of ancient theater have traditionally taken Athens as their creative center. In this book, however, the lens is widened to examine the origins and development of ancient drama, and particularly comedy, within a Sicilian and southern Italian context. Each chapter explores a different category of theatrical evidence, from the literary (fragments of Epicharmus and cult traditions) to the artistic (phylax vases) and the archaeological (theater buildings). Kathryn G. Bosher argues that, unlike in classical Athens, the golden days of theatrical production on Sicily coincided with the rule of tyrants, rather than with democratic interludes. Moreover, this was not accidental, but plays and the theater were an integral part of the tyrants' propaganda system. The volume will appeal widely to classicists and to theater historians.