Mind-Altering Masks in Ancient Drama

Mind-Altering Masks in Ancient Drama

Peter Meineck (NYU) and Malcolm Knight (Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre)

 

Mind-Altering Masks in Ancient Drama, Prof Peter Meineck (NYU) with performances by Dr Malcolm Knight

Peter Meineck discusses the use of masks in ancient Greek dramatic performances and explains how and why these powerful 'mind-tools' were capable of eliciting deep emotional responses from those who gazed on it in performance.This talk also includes live performances with classical masks by Malcolm Knight of the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre.

Peter Meineck is Professor of Classics in the Modern World at New York University. He founded Aquila Theatre in London in 1991 and moved the company to New York in 1999. Since then it has become the foremost classical theatre touring companies in the US. He now serves on the Aquila board and directs their humanities public programming. 

Malcolm Knight is a professional puppeteer and mask specialist with a PhD in Philosophy (Mask Praxis: Theories and Practices of The Mask in Modern Drama, University of Glasgow 2005). He is also the Founder of the Scottish Mask & Puppet Centre and the Secretary of Puppeteers UK