ReportĪs a fellow of the CHS this in the academic year 2018-2019, I had the opportunity to make substantial progress on the writing and research of my book on the production history of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. Moreover, they are responsive to extraordinary developments in world history such as the advent of mass culture, the Russian revolution, WWII and the digital era. Engaging important artists such as Max Reinhardt and Norman Bel Geddes, these traditions reflect on major 20th century ideological and artistic trends including feminism, consumerism, and engaged theater. I identify the early 20th century as a seminal period in the play’s production history and provide a comparative analysis of how landmark productions of Lysistrata in the great metropoles of the West established distinct but interrelated traditions in the staging of Attic comedy as popular and as political theater, which have contemporary relevance. Intercultural discourse begins to flourish in the 1890s, coinciding with the advent of director’s theater and the re-discovery of Aristophanes as an author for the stage, solely on the strength of Lysistrata. Another trait of this unique performance tradition is its strong intercultural character, already in place at the beginning of the 19th century. I maintain that there is an integral connection between popular approaches to staging Aristophanes and the legacy of democratic enlightenment values. My project explores Lysistrata’s extraordinary performance history, unearthing a staging tradition of Aristophanes as popular theater, stretching continuously over two centuries and linking 1789 revolutionary politics in France to global activism today.

Aubrey beardsley lysistrata