Revivals of Classical Drama in Greece and Spain (1860s–1970s)

Vasileios Balaskas explores the revival of classical drama at ancient venues as a sociopolitical apparatus of the European nation-states in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The modern use of Graeco-Roman theatres, odeons, amphitheatres, and stadiums depended on social or artistic influences and interconnections. In particular, the Spanish and Greek cases developed in parallel and addressed similar sociopolitical concepts, while the Italian example served as a model for their theatrical tradition in the first decades of the twentieth century. In theatrical terms, this book argues that the repertoire and orientation of classical drama were influenced by (inter)national artistic trends, while power relations among theatrical directors, actors and actresses, companies, and institutions determined the course of these artistic traditions. Staging classical drama in Greece and Spain transformed Graeco-Roman venues into sociopolitical powerhouses that generated collective narratives, theatrical modernization, and economic development. Despite the distinct degree of ideological engagement with classical culture, political conditions in Greece and Spain during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries offer a space for reflection and critical comparison. In this context, this study discusses how historical realities led to the staging of classical drama at Graeco-Roman venues and how each country appropriated and showcased this classical heritage as sociopolitical capital.

Vasileios Balaskas is Substitute Lecturer in Modern Greek Studies at the University of Málaga. He works in the field of classical reception, exploring power relations and cultural politics. His research focuses on how cultural and sociopolitical expressions in the 19th and 20th centuries appropriated Graeco-Roman antiquity. He uses archival material to document and reconceptualize the ways modern European nation-states repurposed Graeco-Roman heritage, and his primary research topics include ancient drama and literature, particularly in relation to collective identities and memory. His next major project examines the clash between cosmopolitan and nationalist perceptions of Graeco-Roman heritage in fin de siècle literature from Southern Europe.