Ichneutai by Sophocles: The invention of (theatre) music?

Abstract

Podcast transcript for the episode “Ichneutae by Sophocles – the invention of (theatre) music?” of the podcast Staging Sound: Reflecting Theatre Music and Sound Design. In this academic podcast, part of the research podcast series 'Staging Sound: Reflecting (Theatre) Music and Sound Design', Konstantinos Thomaidis presents key findings from his research on the fragmentary play Ichneutai by Sophocles. Answering questions by David Roesner and Millie Taylor, Thomaidis details a comprehensive performance history of Ichneutai (with a particular emphasis on the sonic elements of staging); raises questions of genre and compares each production to other music lineages; and interrogates key sonic themes of the play and its performances: acousmatic sound, in-performance listening, and meta-narratives of theatre about music and sound. The key methodological lens is Thomaidis's novel practice-research methodology of vocal archaeology, with a particular focus on what he terms 'the sonic mapping of the text' as a departure point for both historical acoustic discovery and the creation of contemporary performance. The methodology was tested through Thomaidis's 3-year involvement in the first large-scale production of the play by the Festival of Athens and Epidaurus in 2021 (director: Mikhail Marmarinos).