Promoting research on Greek and Roman drama

The Centre for Ancient Drama and its Reception (CADRE) was founded by the University of Nottingham’s then Department of Classics in 1998 to promote research on Greek and Roman drama and its impact on later traditions. It now sits within the Department of Classics and Archaeology.

CADRE was founded to provide a framework (in French, un cadre) for the study of ancient drama by staff, students and visiting scholars at the University of Nottingham.

Key areas of expertise

The international reputation of Alan Sommerstein’s work in Greek comedy and tragedy has attracted many collaborators and students to Nottingham over the years; the growth of the Department of Classics in the early 2000s brought in more Greek drama scholars as well as expertise on Roman drama and on a variety of aspects of Reception (including African reception, opera, and television).

Links have also been made with colleagues in other schools and departments (German, Music, English Studies). Please see the Members page for details of individuals’ expertise.

CADRE links scholars across the world who have worked and studied at Nottingham; former students, post-docs and visiting scholars continue to work together on conferences, publications and public engagement, in a true spirit of international collaboration.

News and events

Upcoming:

Regular events:

Department of Classics and Archaeology Research Seminar programme

Past events:

• Departing the Polis - 29 - 30 June 2022: This event concerned the theme of travel in Greek drama. Tragedy and comedy often present their heroes as wanderers: whether that is the exiled Oedipus, the hunted Orestes, the itinerant satyrs and their father Silenus, or the comic protagonist Pisetaerus in search for a better life in Cloud Cuckoo-land. The conference brought together international scholars and experts on ancient drama to consider why this (sometimes neglected) theme is so prominent in ancient drama. An edited volume of conference proceedings is forthcoming.

Departing the Polis

• Greek tragedy film season: Eight British television productions of Greek tragedy came to our on-campus arts centre, Nottingham Lakeside Arts, in a season of six screenings from 29 January to 12 March 2016. For more details see the blog:

Greek Tragedy on the Small Screen blog

• Conference 29-30 January 2016: CADRE held a conference on the sacrifice-of-Iphigenia myth at Nottingham Lakeside Arts, in association with the Greek Tragedy on British Television film season.

Sacrificing Iphigenia through the ages