Resumen de Power Plays: “Breaking” into Critique of Roman Comedy through Metatheater
Drawing from personal experience with an experimental theater device, this article argues for the use of an interpolated breakout scene, as developed by the pioneering theater group Split Britches, to facilitate students' efforts to grapple with the conflicting impulses of laughter and disgust toward Roman comedy. In addition to enabling a critical comparative assessment of ancient and modern norms, the breakout scene facilitates appreciation of aspects of Roman theatrical practices, especially the nature and power of metatheatricality.
