Awards

• Short-listed for London Hellenic Prize 2021 (UK)

Overview

Winner of the London Hellenic Prize 2020 The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro gathers together for the first time the three ‘Greek’ plays of the MacArthur Genius Award-winning Chicanx playwright and performance artist. Based respectively on Sophocles’ Electra and Oedipus, and Euripides’ Medea, Alfaro’s Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, and Mojada transplant ancient themes and problems into the 21st century streets of Los Angeles and New York, in order to give voice to the concerns of the Chicanx and wider Latinx communities. From performances around the world including sold-out runs at New York's Public Theater, these texts are extremely important to those studying classical reception, Greek theatre and Chicanx writers. This unique anthology features definitive editions of all three plays alongside a comprehensive introduction which provides a critical overview of Luis Alfaro’s work, accentuating not only the unique nature of these three ‘urban’ adaptations of ancient Greek tragedy but also the manner in which they address present-day Chicanx and Latinx socio-political realities across the United States. A brief introduction to each play and its overall themes precedes the text of the drama. The anthology concludes with exclusive supplementary material aimed at enhancing understanding of Alfaro’s plays: a ‘Performance History’ timeline outlining the performance history of the plays; an alphabetical ‘Glossary’ explaining the most common terms in Spanish and Spanglish appearing in each play; and a ‘Further Reading’ list providing primary and secondary bibliography for each play. The anthology is completed by a new interview with Alfaro which addresses key topics such as Alfaro’s engagement with ancient Greek drama and his work with Chicanx communities across the United States, thus providing a critical contextualisation of these critically-acclaimed plays.

Full Product Details

9781350155398

Table of Contents

Reviews

From the opening scene, the cultural combination is intoxicating ... A fascinating trilogy. * British Theatre Guide *

Andujar not only offers a richly annotated introduction at the beginning of this volume: each of the three plays also begins with a separate introduction that contextualizes the dramatic work in a way that is both enthralling and enlightening ... A must-read for any student and fan of contemporary theatre. And for those of us who have a particular love of Chicanx and Latinx drama, this volume will bring immeasurable reading pleasure and enlightenment. * La Bloga * From the opening scene, the cultural combination is intoxicating ... A fascinating trilogy. * British Theatre Guide *

Author Information

Rosa Andújar is Deputy Director and Lecturer in Liberal Arts at King’s College London, UK. She has co-edited two volumes which address her research expertise in ancient Greek tragedy and its modern reception: Paths of Song: The Lyric Dimension of Greek Tragedy (2018) and Greeks and Romans on the Latin American Stage (2020). Luis Alfaro is a Chicano writer/performer known for his work in poetry, theatre, short stories, performance and journalism. Alfaro held a six-season tenure as the Mellon Playwright-in-Residence at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (2013-2019). He was a member of the Playwright’s Ensemble at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre (2013-2020). Alfaro is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, popularly known as a “genius grant”, presented to people who have demonstrated expertise and exceptional creativity in their respective fields. Alfaro is a Joyce Foundation Fellow. In 2019, Alfaro was awarded the PEN America/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for a Master American Dramatist, The United States Artist Fellowship from the Doris Duke Foundation, and the Ford Foundation’s Art of Change Fellowship. Alfaro’s plays and performances include Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, Mojada, Delano, Body of Faith, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Straight as a Line, Black Butterfly, Bitter Homes and Gardens and downtown. Alfaro spent over two decades in the Los Angeles poetry community and touring the United States and Mexico as a performance artist. He is an Associate Professor with tenure at the University of Southern California.

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