Iphigenia in Splott
Aug 2025 · Bloomsbury Publishing
Ebook
112
Pages
infoThis book will become available on August 21, 2025. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
Iphigenia in Splott is a one-woman play, first seen in 2015, loosely adapted from the ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulis.
The title character, Iphigenia (or "Effie"), finds escape from the harsh reality of her life in drink, drugs and one-night stands. The ancient Greek play is re-told against the backdrop of a crumbling welfare state and reveals the impact of austerity and social injustice on those who have little to lose.
The play has enjoyed international acclaim, having been performed in Cardiff (Sherman Cymru ), London (Lyric Hammersmith & National Theatre), Berlin (Schaubühne) and in New York (59E59 Theatres). In the UK, it won Best New Play at the UK Theatre Awards, 2015.
This Student Edition of Gary Owen's critically celebrated play includes a commentary by Lucy Jackson, which considers:
* The rules of Greek drama and how they inform this play;
* Its basis in the Greek myth of Iphigenia and the Euripidean play Iphigenia at Aulis;
* The context that unites a 21st-century audience with an audience in ancient Greece;
* Modern and ancient notions of tragedy;
* Owen's use of poetic verse compared with that used in ancient drama;
* Various modern interpretations of the Iphigenia myth in theatre and literature;
* Owen's representation of marginalised voices in the play and his portrait of working-class lives;
* The notion of female sacrifice
* Key productions of the play to date and notable staging choices
Notes to the play are included at the back of the edition to help students de-code some of the play's references.
The title character, Iphigenia (or "Effie"), finds escape from the harsh reality of her life in drink, drugs and one-night stands. The ancient Greek play is re-told against the backdrop of a crumbling welfare state and reveals the impact of austerity and social injustice on those who have little to lose.
The play has enjoyed international acclaim, having been performed in Cardiff (Sherman Cymru ), London (Lyric Hammersmith & National Theatre), Berlin (Schaubühne) and in New York (59E59 Theatres). In the UK, it won Best New Play at the UK Theatre Awards, 2015.
This Student Edition of Gary Owen's critically celebrated play includes a commentary by Lucy Jackson, which considers:
* The rules of Greek drama and how they inform this play;
* Its basis in the Greek myth of Iphigenia and the Euripidean play Iphigenia at Aulis;
* The context that unites a 21st-century audience with an audience in ancient Greece;
* Modern and ancient notions of tragedy;
* Owen's use of poetic verse compared with that used in ancient drama;
* Various modern interpretations of the Iphigenia myth in theatre and literature;
* Owen's representation of marginalised voices in the play and his portrait of working-class lives;
* The notion of female sacrifice
* Key productions of the play to date and notable staging choices
Notes to the play are included at the back of the edition to help students de-code some of the play's references.
About the author
Gary Owen is the winner of the George Devine, Meyer Whitworth and Pearson Best Play Awards. His other plays include Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco, The Shadow of a Boy, The Drowned World, Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian and Love Steals Us From Loneliness. With Helen Raynor he was writer and creator of the BBC Wales series Baker Boys. His most recent theatre work includes Perfect Match for Watford Palace Theatre, where he is a creative associate, and Ring Ring, a new version of La Ronde for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. In June 2015 he made his Royal Court debut with Violence and Son, directed by Hamish Pirie. Iphigenia in Splott for Sherman Cymru won Best New Play at the UK Theatre Awards 2015.
Lucy Jackson is Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Durham, UK. Her research focuses on Greek drama, theatre history and classical receptions of the 21st century. She has published The Chorus of Drama in the Fourth Century BCE: Presence and Representation (2019).
Lucy Jackson is Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Durham, UK. Her research focuses on Greek drama, theatre history and classical receptions of the 21st century. She has published The Chorus of Drama in the Fourth Century BCE: Presence and Representation (2019).
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