"From Chorus to Counterpoint: Carnivalesque Feminist Choreography in an Expanded Translation of Aristophanes' Ecclesiazusae "

Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen is a madcap hotchpotch of techniques and influences that bridges the gap between Old and Middle Athenian Comedy (Sutton 1990). Its revolutionary theme and miscellaneous structure naturally lend it to radical adaptation, and contemporary versions have sought to deconstruct its conservative satire by bringing out its feminist possibilities. A notable example is Women in Power (2018 Nuffield Southampton Theatres), an expanded translation of the Ecclesiazusae, directed by Blanche McIntyre and written by a diverse group of prominent female authors, comedians, poets and politicians. This adaptation provides the key example for our examination of feminist detournements of classic theatre on the contemporary stage. Specifically, we consider the importance of vocal diversity in collaborative authorship for feminist theatre translation. It is this authorial polyphony that has allowed recent productions of Athenian Comedy to develop carnivalesque counterpoints to the patriarchal norm of choric unison.