The Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama

The University of Oxford has been building an archive of performances of Greek and Roman drama for nearly 30 years. The archive aims to fill a gap in research on performance history of ancient plays, compared to the extensive research on Shakespearean performance. The project began with a small group of classicists who recognized the need to document and study the increasing number of performances of Greek tragedy in the modern world. The archive includes a wide range of materials, such as playbills, posters, masks, and a library with a strong focus on theatre history and classical reception. The archive not only serves as a valuable resource for scholars but also aims to engage with contemporary artists and practitioners, collaborating on new works that reinterpret and reimagine the ancient plays.