1st Edition

The Great Festival A Theoretical Performance Narrative of Antiquity’s Feasts and the Modern Rock Festival

By Olav Harsløf Copyright 2020
    174 Pages 36 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    174 Pages 36 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    The Great Festival presents and analyzes two historical festivals - the ancient Dionysus Festival and the present Roskilde Festival. The purpose is to set up two comparable structures or 'codes' to explain the universal artistic effects, structures and fascination of the festival.

    Olav Harsløf argues that there are major structural, organizational and economic similarities which, when exposed, can give us greater insight into today's festivals. This is illuminated through a combined performance design and event analysis of the ancient Dionysus festival and today's Roskilde Festival, explaining the festival's historicity, diversity, complexity and paradigmatic strength.

    This will be a discussion of great interest to researchers and students in the fields of performance studies, experience economy, theater, music, classical philology and archeology.

    Preface

    Introduction

    Festival Myths: "A Classic Tragedy"

    Dionysus at Roskilde?

    Festival and Carnival

    Performance Design

    Theoretics and Methodologies

    What is a Festival?

    Dionysian and Apollonian

    The Dilemma of Researching Antiquity

    Democracy or Phallocracy?

    In the Beginning was the Agora

    New Research

    The Scene is Set – and Moved

    The Dionysian Feast

    The Festival Square: Hall & Tribune

    The Wooden Greek Theater

    Repertoire

    The Playwrights

    Women in the Theater?

    Music and Song

    "The Singing Jar"

    The Music Culture

    Theater Music

    The Instruments

    Aulos and Auloi

    Notes

    Dance

    Theater

    Buck Song?

    Theater Sport and X-Factor

    The Festival

    Standard Program for Athens’ Great Dionysian Feast in the Classical Era

    Tragedy’s Paradigmatic Function

    The Cult of Dionysus

    Gods and Humans

    Orgy or Festival?

    The Pan Athenaic Festival

    The Procession

    Analysis

    Performance Studies

    "Social Drama"

    Antiquity’s Social Drama

    Ritual and Entertainment

    "Restored Behavior"

    The Performative Space

    The Code of Dionysus

    The Roskilde Festival

    The Livestock Fairgrounds

    Research Situation and Methodology

    Music in Time – Time in Music

    The 68 Youth Revolution

    The Movements

    The Isle of Wight

    Woodstock

    The Three Woodstocks

    At Roskilde

    The Roskilde Foundation

    The Police

    The Canopy Symbol

    Organization and Economy

    The Music

    Instruments and Gear

    The Program

    Nude Culture

    The Great Liberation

    Orgies

    Mud Wrestling and the Naked Race

    Free Sex

    #MeToo

    The Accident

    The Festival’s Leader

    Dionysus at Roskilde

    Roskilde

    The Code of Roskilde

    The Great Festival

    The Performative Space

    Bibliography

    Index

    Biography

    Olav Harsløf is former professor at the Department of Performance Design, Roskilde University, Denmark, and before that head of The Danish National Academy of Theatre, and the Danish National Conservatory of Rhythmic Music. He has, together with Dorita Hannah, edited the book Performance Design (Museum Tusculanum Press 2008) and written the article "PHantom of the Operas in Sidney and Copenhagen"; and together with Erik Kristiansen edited the book Engaging Spaces - Sites of Performance, Interaction and Reflection (Museum Tusculanum Press 2015) and written the article "Space as Provocation".