If your Friday evening featured apocalyptic ramblings, verbose philosophers and an MC-ing Roman legionary, chances are you were at the Pythian Games.
Not the original Pythian Games 鈥� those were an Ancient Greek festival celebrating athleticism and artistic prowess, and they were millennia ago, so you鈥檙e a little late to get in on that action. AV俱乐部鈥檚 Department of Classics, however, has resurrected the Pythian Games as an annual showcase where students of all majors can show off their Greek grammar, recite a favourite poem or otherwise indulge their dramatic side. And on March 16, indulge they did, togas a-flapping and tongues planted in cheek.
The Games were hosted by a Roman legionary who, rumour has it, strongly resembled assistant professor Jack Mitchell. 鈥淚鈥檓 only a humble legionary,鈥� he introduced himself. 鈥淚鈥檝e come here to see whether Apollo still breathes!鈥�
The ancient soldier鈥檚 troubled soul was set at ease by the evening鈥檚 17 performers, whose offerings ranged from skits to original translations to dramatic readings.
Standouts including Mr. James Campbell-Prager鈥檚 Gilbert and Sullivan send-up 鈥淚鈥檝e Got a Little List,鈥� a sung inventory of characters 鈥渨hose loss would be a distinct gain to society at large鈥� (textbook publishers, 鈥渋diot guest lecturers,鈥� Helvetica hipsters, and people who eat chips in the library were all named and shamed); Cat Migliore and Sarah Black鈥檚 comedy sketch 鈥淎n Ancient Squabble鈥�, in which a Greek and Roman soldier bickered in oddly Cockney accents; Emily Varto鈥檚 Ever-Victorious Second-Year Greek Class performing their original work 鈥淭he Dicaeopolidea鈥� (subtitle, 鈥渁 journey in Greeklish鈥�); and Dominic Lacasse鈥檚 concluding Ancient Greek performance from The Book of Revelation (the audience, suitably chastened by Mr. Lacasse鈥檚 warning of dire days to come, quietly crept out to hide behind the reception鈥檚 chip bowls).
Cultural foundations
鈥淚 think [the Pythian Games are] a good chance to show what you鈥檝e worked on鈥� it鈥檚 a nice arena to do that,鈥� says Zoe Vatter, secretary of the Classics Society and originator of the role of the woebegone farmer Dicaeopolis in 鈥淭he Dicaeopolida.鈥� Ms. Vatter has a passion for the Classics that goes way back.
鈥淚 have always been obsessed with the Greek gods ever since I was a child,鈥� she says. 鈥淐lassics kind of ties everything together鈥� it鈥檚 a very versatile degree because the foundations of the world, I guess, are in Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece.鈥�
Ms. Vatter was also kind enough to explain the mysterious 鈥淒icaeopolida.鈥� 鈥淸Dicaeopolis] was a character in our Ancient Greek textbook. Anybody who鈥檚 taken Ancient Greek would get the irony.鈥�
The inside jokes and community spirit that characterized the Pythian Games is also one of the attractions of AV俱乐部鈥檚 classics department generally. 鈥淚 know all the professors and they all know me,鈥� says Ms. Vatter. 鈥淓verybody who is very involved in the department was at the Pythian Games.鈥� Best of all, this year鈥檚 games raised the bar: 鈥淟ast year was a little crowded. It was nice to have a bigger space鈥� there was a ton more people this year.鈥�
While the contest winners haven鈥檛 been announced yet, prizes up to $250 await some lucky Sappho or Orpheus. And if you missed it this time around, keep an eye open (and a lyre tuned) for next year鈥檚 third annual Pythian Games.