In October 1969, Wole Soyinka, who had spent twenty-two months in prison for his political opposition to the Nigerian Civil War, was released. By the end of that year, he had completed the script of The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite, which would debut at the National Theatre in London in 1973. In this play, Soyinka blends the mythology of Dionysus with that of Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron and palm wine. Join us on Thursday, March 5 for two events celebrating this play that helped earn Soyinka the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. First, Patrice Rankine, Dean of Arts and Science at the University of Richmond and author of several books including Aristotle and Black Drama: A Theater of Civil Disobedience (2013), will deliver a public lecture, ‘Eternal Drama: Wole Soyinka and the Greeks’, at 4:00 pm in Thompson Library Multipurpose Room (2nd floor, room 165). Later that evening, Tom Dugdale (OSU, Theatre) will direct a reading of Soyinka’s play in the arena in Plumb Hall at 7:30 pm, featuring a cast of professional and OSU student actors.

For more information, questions, or comments, please contact Tom Hawkins at hawkins.312@osu.edu.

These events are co-sponsored by a Ronald and Deborah Ratner Teaching Award, the Classics Coffee Hour, and the Departments of African American and African Studies, and Classics.