Getty to feature ancient theater in galleries, and on stage and page
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A play’s an interdisciplinary thing at the Getty Villa, which will launch a major exhibition, “The Art of Ancient Greek Theater,” to coincide with the September run of “Elektra,” the revenge tragedy by Sophocles that will be staged in the Villa’s outdoor theater.
The art show, Aug. 26 to Jan. 3, 2011, is heralded by the Getty as “the first exhibition in the United States in over 50 years to focus on the artistic representation of theatrical performance in ancient Greece.”
While the Villa has a permanent gallery on the theme “Dionysos and the Theater,” the coming temporary exhibition includes just four objects from the Getty’s own collection. It will borrow 93 others from 25 collections, including the British Museum, the Louvre, the state museums of Berlin, the Metropolitan Museum and several institutions in Italy, including the Vatican Museums.
The painted vases, clay masks and figurines in the exhibition are being gathered to reflect the historical and religious context of ancient Greek theater, and to illuminate the plays themselves and the stagecraft used in performing them. Works include the prized Pronomos Vase from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples (pictured). Made in Athens around 400 BC, it depicts actors and dancers celebrating with Dionysos, the patron god of the theater.
A third discipline – publishing – will get into the act, as the Getty issues a 176-page book, also called “The Art of Ancient Greek Theater.” The nine essays and 130 illustrations trace how Greek stage performance developed, and how ancient visual artists depicted it. Getty curator Mary Louise Hart curated the exhibition and edited the book.
The plays themselves live on – at least the relative few that survived – and a new translation of “Elektra” by the British playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker will be staged Thursdays through Saturdays, Sept. 9-Oct. 2, with $20 previews Sept. 2-4. Tickets go on sale July 1. Although the Villa closes at 5 p.m., the galleries featuring “The Art of Ancient Greek Theater” will reopen at 7 p.m. so playgoers can take in the exhibition before the show starts.
Also coinciding with the exhibition is a Nov. 19-20 workshop performance entitled, ‘Understanding a Satyr Play: The Trackers.’ Focusing on ‘The Trackers’ by Sophocles, it will take place in the Villa’s indoor theater.
-- Mike Boehm
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