Greek Tragedy on the American Stage until the First Half of 20th: Identities and Intersections between Greek, Italian and Jewish Community Theater

Authors: Papazafeiropoulou Olga

Abstract:

The purpose of this paper focuses on exploring the emergence of Greek tragedy on the American stage until the first half of 20th century through the intellectual processes and contributions of Greek, Italian and Jewish community theatre. Drawing on a wide range of sources, we trace Greek tragedy on the American stage, exploring the intricate processes of community’s theatre identities. The announcement aims to analyze the distinct yet related efforts of first Americans to intersect with Greek tragedy, searching simultaneously for the identities of immigrants. Eventually, the ancient drama became a vehicle for major developments in American theater as individual immigrant communities began their own theatrical endeavors. From 1903 the Greek actor Dionysios Taboularis arrived in America, while in the decade 1907-1917 Nikolaos Matsoukas and Petros Kotopoulis formed their own troupes. In 1930, the actress Marika Kotopoulis also arrived for a tour. Also, members of Vrysoula’s Pantopoulos formed the “Athenian Operetta”, with positive influence on Greek American theatre. The Italian immigrant community was located in the "Little Italies" housing throughout the city, and soon amateur theatrical clubs evolved. The earliest was the “Circolo Filodrammatico Italo-Americano” in 1880. Fausto Malzone’s artistic direction paved the way for the professional Italian immigrant theatre. Immigrant audiences heard the plays of their homeland, representing a major transition for this ethnic theatre. In 1900, the community had produced the major forces that created the professional theatre. By l905, the Italian American theatre had become firmly rooted in its professional phase. Yiddish Theater was both an import and a home-grown phenomenon. Since 1878, works began to be presented by Boris Tomashevsky. Between 1890 and 1940, many Yiddish theater companies appeared in America presenting adaptations of classical plays. American people first encounter with ancient texts was mostly academic. The tracing of tragedy as form and concept that follow the evolutionary course of domestic social, aesthetic and political ferments according to the international trends and currents, draws conclusion about the early Greek, Italian and Jewish immigrant’s theatre in relationship to the American scene until the first half of 20th century. Presumably, community theater acquired identity by intersecting with the spiritual reception of tragedy in America.

Keywords: American, Community, Greek, Italian, identities, intersection, Jewish, theatre, tragedy.

References:

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