Bakkhai Variations:
Villanova Theatre
“Dionysos is god
of the beginning
before the beginning.”
Anne Carson, Translator’s Note in Bakkhai
What is this website?
This website is a cornucopia of resources, musings, media, etc. for all of the artists, students, and patrons for Villanova University Theatre’s upcoming fall 2020 production built around Euripides’ Bakkhai.
​
The event will feature five (5) NEW short-form plays inspired by the Greek classic as well as a full reading of Anne Carson’s translation. They will be recorded and distributed digitally to make sure people can enjoy these new works safely.
This website was created by Zach Apony, the production dramaturg for this process with gracious assistance from Villanova Theatre students, faculty, and staff.
Statement About Spelling Ancient Greek in English
Throughout this website, one may notice variations in how Ancient Greek names and words are rendered into the Latin alphabet for an English-speaking reader. This common occurrence comes from disagreement about the best way to turn a Greek letter into a Latin letter. One example would be the Greek letter ‘κ,’ or kappa, which may sometimes turn into the letter k or the letter c. This leads to the play we are adapting to being spelled Bakkhai and Bacchae, and both are correct since they produce the same sounds.
For the purposes of this website, the dramaturg has deferred to the publication being referenced or, when nothing is being directly referenced, Anne Carson’s spelling, since it served as the inspiration for this project. Hopefully this clarifies any confusions!
