Queering the Past(s)

A podcast with Leo Aylen and David Wiles Leo Aylen, a poet, author, actor, director, broadcaster, and screenwriter, has engaged significantly with classical material over the course of his career. In this podcast episode, he discusses his sell-out production of 'Antigone' at the Greenwich Theatre. His interlocutor is David Wiles, Emeritus Professor of Drama at the University of Exeter, who himself has translated and directed several Greek plays. Their key question: how much do we know about Sophocles' choreography, and what do we do with this knowledge today?

A podcast with Nancy Rabinowitz, Marcus Bell, and Eleonora Colli ‘Queering the Past(s)’ is a new interactive online resource supported by The Classical Association, which has been developed by a team of teachers and scholars to address an important gap in school education on LGBTQ+ subjects and to use information from antiquity to help students gain confidence in addressing modern critical (and contentious) issues.

A podcast with Nancy Rabinowitz, Rhodessa Jones, and Angela Wilson Rhodessa Jones is a theatre practitioner and artistic director, and founded The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women/HIV Circle in 1989. Nancy Rabinowitz is Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature at Hamilton College, and has worked extensively on the impact of Greek theatre in prisons, and co-edited Classics and Prison Education in the US (2021). Angela Wilson is a formerly incarcerated mother, writer, actress, teacher, activist, and a core member of the Medea Project. The three discuss the Medea Project's origins, latest residency, and their engagement with myth as a ritual of resilience.

A podcast with Mark Fleishman and Mandla Mbothwe Reimagining Tragedy from Africa and the Global South (ReTAGS) is a project led by Mark Fleishman and Mandla Mbothwe. In this episode, Mark and Mandla discuss the project's aims, reimagining the concept of tragedy from a perspective in Africa that is directed at the complex challenges of our global postcolonial present and towards our possible futures both inside and outside of the discipline.

A podcast with Hannah Greenstreet and Charlotte Vickers Hannah Greenstreet and Charlotte Vickers are, respectively, the writer and director of the TORCH-funded project Andromeda - a queer retelling of Euripides' lost play. Recorded ahead of a full production at Camden People's Theatre, Hannah and Charlotte discuss the project, its process, and the importance of centring queer experience in storytelling. Introduced by Giovanna Di Martino, and produced by Giovanna Di Martino and Claire Barnes. Recorded in July 2021.

A podcast with Patrick Wang and Michael Lippman. Writer and director Patrick Wang is interviewed by Michael Lippman (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), about his 2018 two-part film, A Bread Factory. Telling the story of a community arts centre and the individuals whose lives are intertwined with it, A Bread Factory incorporates scenes and motifs from Greek tragedy as the art centre puts on a performance of Euripides' Hecuba. Introduced by Claire Barnes, and produced by Giovanna Di Martino and Claire Barnes. Recorded in June 2021.

A podcast with Zachary Dunbar and Stephe Harrop Zachary Dunbar and Stephe Harrop discuss their Rob Jordan Prize-winning publication, 'Greek Tragedy and the Contemporary Actor' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Both combine their experience in academic research and performance practise to reflect on what went into producing this successful volume, and how it might inform ongoing conversations. Introduced by Giovanna Di Martino. Production: Giovanna Di Martino and Claire Barnes. Recorded in April 2021.

A podcast with Zachary Dunbar and Stephe Harrop Zachary Dunbar and Stephe Harrop discuss their Rob Jordan Prize-winning publication, 'Greek Tragedy and the Contemporary Actor' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Both combine their experience in academic research and performance practise to reflect on what went into producing this successful volume, and how it might inform ongoing conversations. Introduced by Giovanna Di Martino. Production: Giovanna Di Martino and Claire Barnes. Recorded in April 2021.

Representatives from University College London and Oxford University discuss their respective classical plays, a rich university tradition for each which has been forced to adapt significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Guest presenter David Bullen (a theatre producer working on the King's College London play since 2015), interviews: Lewis Bentley, Elena Bashkova, and Zoë De Barros from UCL and Marcus Bell and Alison Middleton from Oxford. Introduced by Giovanna Di Martino. Production: Giovanna Di Martino and Claire Barnes. Recorded in December 2020.

Representatives from University College London and Oxford University discuss their respective classical plays, a rich university tradition for each which has been forced to adapt significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Guest presenter David Bullen (a theatre producer working on the King's College London play since 2015), interviews: Lewis Bentley, Elena Bashkova, and Zoë De Barros from UCL and Marcus Bell and Alison Middleton from Oxford. Introduced by Giovanna Di Martino. Production: Giovanna Di Martino and Claire Barnes. Recorded in December 2020.