GREEK THEATRE

Proposed Itinerary for 2022.

Key Dates

Sample Daily Schedule

Schedule subject to change depending on the availability of guest artists and theatres’ performance schedules.

• Athenian Tragedy in Performance Spanning performance practice in the ancient world up to and including its reception today. How have generations reimagined tragedy to speak to their own eras?
• Athens and Empire 5th Century BCE Athens was a fledgling democracy with a large empire. The tension inherent in this duality is often manifested in tragedy. This module explores the historical context of tragedy in Athens, as well as the appropriation of wider Greek literature and civilisation by far-right groups today.
• Performing Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides We learn so much about these plays by exploring them as originally intended – in performance. This module will comprise of acting classes on how to approach scenes, monologues and choral work. There will be sessions in mask and movement work and opportunities to explore the plays through informal offerings in Greece and at the Ashmolean.
• Shakespeare and the Ancient World The influence of Greek and Roman literature is found throughout Shakespeare’s work. This module explores several of his plays in performance.

• Theatre reports (5 total)
• Research papers (3 total)

Two weeks in London will be spent with time split between the classroom and the studio. Classes will cover the context of tragedy’s creation and early performance, as well as the reception of Attic tragedy in the UK and US. There will be an additional module on the influence of ancient texts in the work of Shakespeare. Studio sessions will focus on performance technique, with sessions on choral work and the role of the mask. Masterclasses will be provided by leading practitioners working with the RSC and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

There will be guided tours of the British Museum and Guildhall Amphitheatre plus two trips to see performances in London, and one further trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to watch a production at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The British Museum was founded in 1753 and opened its doors in 1759. It was the first national museum to cover all fields of human knowledge, open to visitors from across the world. Enlightenment ideals and values – critical scrutiny of all assumptions, open debate, scientific research, progress and tolerance – have marked the Museum since its foundation. The Museum is driven by an insatiable curiosity for the world, a deep belief in objects as reliable witnesses and documents of human history, sound research, as well as the desire to expand and share knowledge.

Guildhall Roman Amphitheater In 1988, Museum of London archaeologists made an astonishing discovery that changed the face of Roman London. During an archaeological dig taking place in preparation for the new Art Gallery building project, it was found that the capital’s only Roman amphitheatre was located in Guildhall Yard. In 2002, the doors to the amphitheatre opened for the first time in nearly 2,000 years.

We will then spend 9 days in Greece where we’ll retrace the route of the Panathenaic Festival in Athens, and visit the ancient sites of Delphi, Mycenae and Epidavros.

We’ll have masterclasses with a leading actor from the National Theatre of Greece, and a choreographer from Greece’s National Opera company. You’ll be accompanied by the course director throughout.

During your stay in Greece, you will see a number of ancient sites, including:

The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the rock and on the surrounding slopes, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. More than 4,250 objects are exhibited over an area of 14,000 square metres.

We’ll return to the UK for our final 6 days in Oxford. There we will be based at the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama, the foremost resource in the world for the study of tragedy and its reception. We’ll have full access to the archive with guidance from an archivist and a talk from Fiona Macintosh. We’ll also be able to attend the post-graduate Theatre and Classics Symposium held by the APGRD in conjunction with the Royal Holloway Theatre Department.

	The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology Established in 1683 to house the library and curiosities collected by Elias Ashmole — which included coins, books, and geological and zoological specimens  (among them the stuffed body of the last dodo seen in Europe) the Ashmolean Museum is the oldest university museum in the world. Today the collection includes a coins (Greek, Roman, Celtic, Byzantine, Medieval, Islamic and Chinese), Pre-Raphaelite paintings, majolica pottery, Victorian art and furniture, Chinese art (from the Neolithic period through to modern paintings and prints), antiquities from the Sudan and Ancient Egypt, and the Messiah Stradivarius violin.
	St. John’s College, University of Oxford was founded in 1555 by Thomas White, Master of the Merchant Taylor’s livery company in London; it is the first college at Oxford to have been founded by a merchant rather than a member of the church. Centrally located on St. Gile’s near the Ashmolean Museum, the College is organized in a series of seven quadrangles, including the Canterbury Quadrangle which is the first example of Italian Renaissance architecture in the city, and includes over four acres of gardens that date back to the 1600s. The college remains a major landowner in the city of Oxford.
	Oxford Playhouse is a theatre for everyone.Oxford Playhouse and its Burton Taylor Studio present and produce a wide range of live performance. The programme includes the best of British and international drama, family shows, contemporary dance and music, student and amateur shows, comedy, lectures and poetry. The Playhouse produces and tours its own shows, hosts Artists in Residence and presents Playhouse Plays Out, an ongoing series of off-site events which happen at locations across the county. The theatre’s Participation team work with over 15,000 people each year through post show discussions, workshops, work experience, holiday schemes, a youth theatre and a young people’s theatre company.

Schedules permitting, we will be joined by the following artists for workshops and masterclasses during the course.

Argyris Xafis graduated from the National School of Dramatic Arts in Greece, and has performed ancient tragedies numerous times in Epidaurus. He has won several awards for his cinema and stage work and he’s also an acting professor at Athens Conservatory Drama School. IMDb

Sofia Paschou studied at Arhi Drama School, and at LISPA (London International School of Performing Arts), where she completed (and worked afterwards) the pedagogical training program. She is Artistic Director of Patari Project, a physical theatre company based in Athens, for which she directed the performances: 10cm up, Odyssey, Shoe catcher on the piano, Νose, Chionani, Theogony: a great fiesta (Epidaurus Festival), Four Seasons (Greek National Opera). She has also directed The Seesaw (National Theatre of Greece), Τhe Slave (Porta Theatre, co-direction with Thomas Moschopoulos), MUTE (Neos Kosmos Theatre), and Who discovered America? (National Theatre of Northern Greece). As an actress she has worked with Lilo Baur, Helen Chadwick (Royal Opera House, London), Dessislava Stefanova, and with Out of Chaos. She has signed the movement of the works Iphigenia in Tauris, Arrival – based on Homer’s Odyssey and The Frogs, all performed at the Epidaurus Festival, The trial of K and Candide (Porta Theatre), Fahrenheit 451 (Athens Festival), MANON and Return, both at the Greek National Opera. She is a drama teacher at the Athens Coservatoire’s drama school. She has also taught at the Birmingham School of Acting and at the National Theatre, London.

The APGRD (Archive of Performances of Greek & Roman Drama) is a pioneering international centre for research into performances of Greek and Roman drama worldwide, from antiquity to the present, on stage, screen and radio, in opera and dance.

Based at the University of Oxford, the APGRD’s rich collections and activities have been made possible by generous support from the AHRC, The Leverhulme Trust, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Onassis Foundation.

As well as hosting a high-profile series of public talks, the APGRD supports new writing and works closely with practitioners engaged in the creative arts and beyond.

Research
The provision of cutting-edge research is one of the APGRD’s primary aims, with a publication record to match.

Our research team of experienced and emergent scholars has produced pioneering studies and our digital resources include freely available databases of both ancient and modern productions. New research programmes include Performing Epic; Translating Ancient Drama, and Interactive Multimedia e-books.

The APGRD aims to create a wider community of scholarship, drawing upon experts and practitioners from the worlds of classics, theatre, music and dance. This unique, multidisciplinary, and inclusive approach gives the APGRD additional vitality and relevance.

Preserve
Our archives contain over 10,000 items relating to modern performances of Greek and Roman drama. The centrepiece of the archive is the Leyhausen-Spiess collection, which documents European theatre history from the 1920s to the 1970s.

Managed by a professional archivist, the APGRD archives are accessible to scholars and practitioners. To make an appointment to consult the collections, please see our Visit us page.

Our video, audio and manuscript collections provide the raw materials for future scholarship and allow modern performances to be preserved for posterity. Donations to the archive are welcome.

Create
From commissioning new plays to hosting rehearsed readings, the APGRD works to further the understanding of ancient theatre – where western drama began and where the first musical theatre appeared.

The APGRD’s members have been producers, academic advisors and consultants on internationally acclaimed productions. The APGRD provides directors, writers, actors, choreographers and composers with a space to speak and engage with academics and students.

Please note: Greek Theatre is a physically demanding course with a packed schedule that includes a number of walking tours and site visits. All teaching spaces and accommodations are fully accessible but the historical nature of the ancient sites allows for limited accommodations.

The 2022 Greek Theatre Program fees are: $8,450

Program fees include all excursions (theatre trips, site visits, museum admission and tours, etc.), air transportation to/from London to Greece, all ground transportation and accommodations while on the course.

All fees are payable in US dollars. Please contact Helen Ainsworth at  hainsworth@bada.org.uk should you wish to settle the fees in UK Sterling so that an appropriate rate can be agreed.

On acceptance, in order to hold their place, applicants will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of $500.

The remaining fees are due as follows:

The balance of fees payable become non-refundable on the due dates above.

Please note, in addition to the fees payable to BADA, participants are responsible for:

• Roundtrip Airfare to the UK
• Insurance
• Spending money

BADA suggests that if you are offered a place on the programme, you should then seriously consider the benefits of taking out a fee protection plan. If for any reason, including related to the COVID-19 pandemic, you cannot start or complete the course, insurance could, depending on the specific cover of your policy, alleviate if not eliminate your financial loss. More information about Fee Protection Insurance can be found in our Refund Policy document on our Policies page.

These are the proposed accommodations for the 2021 Greek Theatre course and are representative of the type and quality of accommodations for course participants; final accommodations will be confirmed in Spring 2021.

London – The Stay Club Camden

The Stay Club Camden is located in the heart of Camden, one of London’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Directly across the street is the world-famous Camden Market – a collection of over 1,000 shops, stalls, cafes, and food purveyors. There are also a large number of restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores in the area immediately surrounding the Stay Club.

BADA’s premises are just a fifteen minute walk and nearby Tube stations at Chalk Farm (5 minutes) and Camden Road (10 minutes) will whisk you to the West End and all that Central London has to offer in only 15 minutes. Hampstead Heath, a large and ancient park that contains spectacular views from one of the highest points in all of London, is about 25 minutes away on foot.

Greece – Acropole Hotel

The Acropole Delphi Hotel is a family-run hotel that invites you to enjoy Delphi. Only one block from the town centre, the peaceful location allows guests to get away from the crowds while still being very close to all the local amenities, the Archaeological Site and the Museum. You’ll fall under the spell of its stunning views of the Gorge of Delphi and the olive groves of Itea. The amazing sunrises and sunsets will remain with you a lifetime.

Oxford – St. John’s College

While in Oxford, the course is based at the University of Oxford’s St. John’s College, which was founded in 1555. The college lies in the heart of Oxford and is ideally located and only a 10 minutes’ walk from the Oxford Railway Station and 5 minutes’ walk from the Gloucester Green Bus Station.
Oxford is one of Europe’s great university cities and contains many of England’s most sublime and beautiful buildings and hosts some of its finest and most historic museums as well as beautiful parks and meadows for our programme participants to explore.

BADA is not an accredited US institution; we are unable to provide academic credit for the course.

With its intensive workload, 77 contact hours and 90 further unsupervised work hours, this program has a suggested credit equivalency of two 3 credit courses, in line with other programs BADA runs. You will finish the program with a portfolio of work, and the course director can provide a written assessment for your home institution.

Classroom and Coursework breakdown by hours

77 hours of contact time

Classroom time in London – 24 hours
Acting classes in London – 12 hours
Trips to British Museum and Guildhall Amphitheatre – 9 hours
London masterclasses – 4 hours
Greece – 2 masterclasses – 4 hours
Greece – guided tours of Delphi, Mycenae, Acropolis – 9 hours
Greece classroom time – 3 hours
Greece acting class time – 4 hours
Oxford classroom time – 4 hours
Oxford acting classes – 4 hours

90 hours of unsupervised work

London – 2 theatre trips, one Stratford trip – 9 hours
Greece – 2 theatre shows – 6 hours
Report on each theatre show we see – 5 x 2 = 10 hours
Oxford seminar – 8 hours
APGRD access time – 10 hours
Performance writing/prep – 35 hours
3 papers x 4 hours – 12 hours