Classics students enjoy university's Ancient Drama Festival

On Friday, Mr. Clark and Dr Harden took 9 Upper and Lower Sixth pupils who are studying Classical Civilisation - and one keen Latinist - to Warwick University’s Classics Department, for the Ancient Drama Festival.

This culminated in a performance of the Aristophanic comedy ‘The Assembly Women’. The play was originally produced in 391 BC and creates a scenario in which the women of Athens take power and enact groundbreaking reforms. Aristophanes had the Athenian government at the time in his sights as a target for his barbed pen, but the play’s value also lies in it being a source for the history of sex and gender in Classical Athens.

The innovative production was performed, produced, and directed by current undergraduates.

Before the performance, Salopians spent the morning attending a series of lectures on Greek Theatre; this was useful for their A level, but also, looking beyond the Kennedy Building on Ashton Road, gave them a taster of what university will be like, in terms of taking lecture notes!

Many thanks to Mr. Clark for organising, to Dr Harden for helping with staffing, and to them both for braving the M6 on a Friday afternoon.

Paul Fitzgerald

Head of Classics