Join us for a pop-up exhibition offering a snapshot of the variety of posters held in the APGRD's archival collections, with speakers from the V&A, the National Theatre (London), and the Universities of Hertfordshire and Oxford.
The exhibition will open from 2.30pm;talks will begin at 3.15pm, followed by Q&Aand drinks reception (finishing by 6pm). All welcome, no booking required.
The playbill, the flyer, the poster, and more recently the digital trailer, are typically an audience member's first point of contact with a modern mediation of the classical past. They have the power to shape the expectations with which the audience interpret the ancient world and approach the upcoming performance. The exhibition focuses on theatrical playbills and posters as a vital form of classical reception, and not simply as pieces of archival evidence giving clues to a performance.
Foregrounding the work of the designers, illustrators, and photographers, and the evolution of theatrical advertising, the event will explore how different approaches - typographical, illustrative, photographic - enforce, reshape, or reject, shifting cultural notions of ancient Greece and Rome and specific moments within the ancient texts.
2.30pm: Exhibition open in Outreach Room
move to the Lecture Theatre for 3.15pm
Welcome by Oliver Taplin (APGRD Oxford)
Claire Kenward and Florencia Nelli (APGRD Oxford)
Thom Cuschieri (University of Hertfordshire, School of Creative Arts)
Jane Pritchard (V&A)
Erin Lee, Jake Deller, and Lottie Fowler (National Theatre, London)
Q&A and discussion
Followed by a drinks reception in the atrium and another chance to see the exhibition. Event will finish by 6pm
Exhibition curated by Florencia Nelli and Claire Kenward with assistance from Kimberly Honig.
In-person accessibility
The Ioannou Centre lecture theatre is located on the ground floor and the Centre is fully wheelchair accessible; an accessible toilet is located on the ground floor and on the first floor. Please see the online Access Guide for more details about the building's accessibility. Feel free to contact the APGRD with any queries.