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Pepperdine Theatre Students Bring Getty Villa’s Historic Exhibit to Life
To coincide with the one-of-a-kind exhibit "The Art of Ancient Greek Theater," the Getty Villa has invited five students from the Pepperdine University theatre program to perform scenes from The Persians in different galleries within the museum on Saturday, Oct. 16, and Saturday, Oct. 23.
"This is the first time anything like this has taken place at the Getty Villa. It’s a rare chance for the Pepperdine students to bring the galleries to life," says Bradley Griffin, assistant professor of theater at Pepperdine University’s Seaver College.
The students' short scene performances will take place in the "Women’s Gallery" at 12 noon and 12:20 p.m., and then in the "Men’s Gallery" at 12:40 p.m., with repeat performances at 2, 2:20, and 2:40 p.m. Afterwards, the performance attendees will be able to interact with the student actors to discuss the process of performing the classical material.
"We want to provide visitors with an opportunity to experience Greek theater itself, and to do that in dialogue with works in our permanent collection galleries," says Rainer Mack, manager of education at the Getty Villa. "We think the students will bring a fresh, dynamic, and accessible interpretation to the ancient material. We're very excited to see it all come together."
The Pepperdine theatre department staged a five-performance run of The Persians at the Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre on the Malibu Campus in October 2009—the first Pepperdine production of a Greek play in five years. The play, written by Aeschylus in 472BC, is the oldest surviving play in the history of theatre and tells the story of the 480BC Battle of Salamis in which the Greeks defeated the Persians. After the citizens of Persia learn the fate of their army, the community grapples with the concept of defeat, and their queen Atossa must prepare to welcome home her son, the tragic King Xerxes.
Attendees are required to request complimentary tickets to the Getty Villa in advance. Parking is $15; visit www.getty.edu for ticketing information.
