C.W. Marshall, Professor (CNERS)
Students in the theatre at Oiniades
On a beach outside Galaxidi a dozen UBC students stand knee-deep in the water of the Gulf of Corinth, reciting a chorus from Sophocles’ Antigone in Ancient Greek. The next day, they are doing so again in the ancient theatre of Oiniades. The students are making a short film, of possibly the most famous Greek tragic chorus, the “Ode to Man,” which proclaims human achievement as something both marvelous and terrible. The film is directed by Dr. Helen Eastman with her London-based company, Barefaced Greek, and the students are part of a Go Global seminar led by Dr. Hallie Marshall (Theatre and Film). The course examined Greek performance spaces across the Greek mainland and the performance culture of antiquity. Students come from across the Faculty of Arts, and many had limited travel experience. Three came from CNERS, and had a background in classical studies: Jaymie Orchard, Julia Perroni and Jinho Chang.
Students at the ruins of Oiniades
Singing a chorus in Greek was a new experience for everyone, including Dr. Toph Marshall, who helped rehearse the students in Vancouver, drilling them in classical metres as they learned to pronounce Ancient Greek. The film will be viewable on the company’s website and on YouTube, with subtitles available in multiple languages.
The project was supported by three different grants: an UBC Arts Research Award, subsidizing student travel; a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant to make the film; and AURA and IWL funding to hire undergraduate students to make subtitles for the Barefaced Greek films. Additional support was provided by the Dean of Arts and the Department of Theatre and Film.
Another Go Global course will be run in May 2020, when, amidst tavernas, museums, and ancient theatre spaces, another film of an Ancient Greek chorus will be made (funding permitting).
Rehearsing in the ancient Theatre of Thorikos
