An evil, corrupt, narcissistic emperor has seized the throne, and the late Roman Empire is in chaos. Livia longs for her lover, who has left Rome to lead the forces gathered in rebellion against the incompetent, debauched emperor. She tries to understand how the once noble Roman republic has crumbled and Rome has succumbed to the tyrant's hand. She struggles with the feeling that she is isolated in her opposition to the demented clown. What can she do to save her society?
Livia: A Roman Tragedy, though set in ancient Rome, is an urgent message for our time.
Livia quotes the dramatic literature situated in ancient Rome, such as Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, Coriolanus, and Antony and Cleopatra, and other Roman plays by Corneille, Ibsen, and Dürrenmatt, as well as Roman philosophers Seneca, Cicero, and Epictetus, and the German sociologist/philosopher Norbert Elias.
Semi-staged play reading. 90 minutes.
WITH: Marianna Gailus
AT: Mason Library, Great Barrington, Mass.