The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro
Electricidad; Oedipus El Rey; Mojada
Luis Alfaro author Rosa Andújar editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:3rd Sep '20
Should be back in stock very soon
This anthology, with a critical introduction, gathers together for the first time the ‘Greek’ plays of Luis Alfaro, MacArthur Genius Award-winning Chicanx playwright and performance artist.
Winner of the London Hellenic Prize 2020
The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro gathers together for the first time the three ‘Greek’ plays of the MacArthur Genius Award-winning Chicanx playwright and performance artist.
Based respectively on Sophocles’ Electra and Oedipus, and Euripides’ Medea, Alfaro’s Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, and Mojada transplant ancient themes and problems into the 21st century streets of Los Angeles and New York, in order to give voice to the concerns of the Chicanx and wider Latinx communities.
From performances around the world including sold-out runs at New York's Public Theater, these texts are extremely important to those studying classical reception, Greek theatre and Chicanx writers. This unique anthology features definitive editions of all three plays alongside a comprehensive introduction which provides a critical overview of Luis Alfaro’s work, accentuating not only the unique nature of these three ‘urban’ adaptations of ancient Greek tragedy but also the manner in which they address present-day Chicanx and Latinx socio-political realities across the United States.
A brief introduction to each play and its overall themes precedes the text of the drama. The anthology concludes with exclusive supplementary material aimed at enhancing understanding of Alfaro’s plays: a ‘Performance History’ timeline outlining the performance history of the plays; an alphabetical ‘Glossary’ explaining the most common terms in Spanish and Spanglish appearing in each play; and a ‘Further Reading’ list providing primary and secondary bibliography for each play.
The anthology is completed by a new interview with Alfaro which addresses key topics such as Alfaro’s engagement with ancient Greek drama and his work with Chicanx communities across the United States, thus providing a critical contextualisation of these critically-acclaimed plays.
In these plays, Luis brilliantly transplants Sophocles’s Electra and Oedipus and Euripides’s Medea into the modern-day streets of Los Angeles and New York. In doing so, he gives voice to the rich, complex lives of the Chicanx and Latinx communities and neighborhoods that he knows and loves. This book is a must-own for any student and lover of contemporary, American plays. * LA Review of Books *
A Bloomsbury translation: In this way, the entire book constitutes more than a simple collection of Alfaro's plays. Each of the sections of the anthology reiterates the creation of an archive ... Andújar's work thus contributes to the preservation of the memory of these communities which have turned to the theatre as a venue through which to tell and connect their own stories with other cultures, geographies and temporalities, constantly and necessarily crossing all kinds of borders. * Latin American Theatre Review *
Andújar not only offers a richly annotated introduction at the beginning of this volume: each of the three plays also begins with a separate introduction that contextualizes the dramatic work in a way that is both enthralling and enlightening … A must-read for any student and fan of contemporary theatre. And for those of us who have a particular love of Chicanx and Latinx drama, this volume will bring immeasurable reading pleasure and enlightenment. * La Bloga *
From the opening scene, the cultural combination is intoxicating … A fascinating trilogy. * British Theatre Guide *
Equipped with Andújar’s excellent introduction to Alfaro’s work generally and to each adaptation, plus a production history and interview with Alfaro, this book not only makes the scripts of three very successful plays available for the first time for everyone, but also presents a unique and fascinating way of engaging with the ancient Greek dramas of which Alfaro’s plays are adaptations. * Skenè: Journal of Theatre and Drama Studies *
A welcome addition to the bookshelves of those with an interest in the afterlives of Athenian tragedy ... The volume as a whole exemplifies the way in which collaboration between academics and practitioners enhances classical reception studies: this reviewer would be delighted to see more contemporary classical reception texts being given similar treatment. * Greece & Rome *
- Short-listed for London Hellenic Prize 2021 (UK)
ISBN: 9781350155404
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 406g
304 pages