The research I am currently undertaking at the University of Edinburgh is under the working title of “Tragedy as a Mask: an exploration of politically engaged twenty-first-century productions of ancient tragedy, and the plays that were their vehicles”

In the course of this research I hope to answer, or at least begin to answer, the following questions:

• How do twenty-first-century theatre productions use classical tragedy to convey modern political ideas?

• How are the original texts framed, challenged, or manipulated to further the message of this new work? Does this alter public perception of the original texts?

• Do different productions of the same play utilise similar moments or characters as vehicles for their individual messages?

• When responding to recent events, why do these makers turn to Classical plays instead of creating new works? What does it mean to relay a modern story through an ancient lens?

I’ll be updating this page as I make progress, so check back often!