The Myth of Originality, in conjunction with UW School of Drama production of Trojan Women: A Love Story

Alice Hofgren
Floyd and Dolores Jones Playhouse, University of Washington

How can we identify when a story first begins to take shape? In the (re)making project Charles Mee questions whether any play can truly be called original. Our oldest plays, written by the Ancient Greeks, were already adaptations of popular mythology and were never conceived of as new or original stories. In this talk, Alice Hofgren will lecture briefly on the myths behind Euripides' Trojan Women and discuss the importance of adaptation for our contemporary theatre.     

Alice Hofgren is a third-year PhD student in the University of Washington's program for Theatre History, Theory, and Criticism. She holds a BA in theatre from the University of Southern Maine and an MA in theatre studies from the University of Kansas. Her current research focuses on 5th century Athenian drama and the ways Ancient Greek drama and myth have been adapted for feminist aims in the 20th and 21st centuries. 

The UW School of Drama is sponsoring this brief but rich pre-show talk in the Jones Playhouse lobby before the first matinee performance of Trojan Women: A Love Story. Coffee and cookies will be provided.

This pre-show talk is free and open to the public. To purchase tickets for the 2:00 PM matinee performance of Trojan Women: A Love Story, visit ArtsUW.

Please note that the on-site box office will open at 1:30 PM on Sunday 1/21 in order to avoid disruption during the lobby talk.


LOBBY TALKS is a new initiative of the UW School of Drama designed to offer audiences a deeper look into the questions posed by the work on our stages, and to provide audiences access to the incredible scholarship here at the University of Washington. If you have feedback about LOBBY TALKS, please contact School of Drama Director of Engagement Holly Arsenault at hollypla@uw.edu.