Olga P. Papazafeiropoulou
The purpose of this book is to explore the emergence of Greek tragedy on the American stage until the 1950 through the intellectual processes and contributions of Greek, Italian and Jewish community theatre. We trace Greek tragedy on the American stage, exploring the intricate processes of community’s theatre identities. The study aims to analyze the distinct yet related efforts of early Americans to intersect with Greek tragedy, searching simultaneously for the identities of immigrants. Ancient drama became a vehicle for major developments in American theater as individual immigrant communities began their own theatrical endeavors. The tracing of tragedy as form and concept follows the evolutionary course of domestic social, aesthetic and political ferments according to the international trends and currents and draws conclusion about the early Greek, Italian and Jewish immigrant’s theatre in relationship to the first plays of American scene. Ultimately, community theater acquired identity by intersecting with the spiritual reception of tragedy in America.
