Postmodern Performances of Ancient Greek Tragedy (Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Euripides’ Electra)

The paper focuses on the analysis of contemporary performances that re-contextualize the ancient Greek tragedies of Aeschylus and Euripides. The analysis is based on three examples of performances: 'Oresteia' by Michał Zadara, 'Oresteia' by Maja Kleczewska, both from the National Theatre and National Opera in Warsaw, and 'Waiting for Orestes: Electra' by Tadashi Suzuki (the Suzuki Company of Toga). The following aspects will be taken under consideration: 1) the relation between the ancient text and its stage adaptation; 2) the re-contextualization of time and space; 3) the change of the stage characters’ system; 4) the change of the myth’s identity; 5) the aesthetics of postmodernism in contemporary art; 6) the categories of Classics’ mise-en-scène by Patrice Pavis. These considerations allow us to identify the trends in postmodern theatre, which use classical texts to diagnose the contemporary condition of man. By turning to the ancient myth and its canonical textual versions, contemporary performing arts indicate a strong relation between tradition and contemporaneity performed in postmodern aesthetics.