Joshua Streeter

This dissertation examines growing trends in the practice and theory of performing fragments from Greek Comedies and Satyr Plays for contemporary audiences. The surviving fragments are adapted according to their size after "careful research and artistic mastery" (Timothy Wutrich, 1995). Fragmentary plays with 75% of their text intact, such as Menander's New Comedy 'Samia,' are restored by filling up the play's lacunae. Fragmentary plays with 50% of their text intact, such as Sophocles' Satyr Play 'The Trackers,' are restored by using metatheatrical techniques. Fragmentary plays with less than 25% of their text intact, like Nikokhares' Old Comedy 'Herakles the Producer,' are reseeded and made into new creative works. This dissertation outlines different methodologies for effectively reviving fragmentary comedies and satyr plays.

[...]some of these exercises are stimulating, some blander, and others less palatable, depending on one's pedagogical tastes. Each submission is split into sections: "In Brief," which is a short overview; "Purpose," a more detailed summary; any "Preparation" and "Materials" to arrange beforehand; the bullet-point "Nuts and Bolts" of implementing the exercise; and a final "Reflection," where the contributor usually articulates the rationale, expected learning outcomes, and/or previous results of the exercise from their own experiences. If a traditional lesson or unit plan is like a full course dinner, each dish intentionally planned to complement one another and to move toward a culminating experience, How to Teach a Play is more a sampling of hors doeuvres or tapas by scores of chefs from a range of culinary styles and expertise.