Last month The Open University hosted an international conference ‘Classics in the Modern World – A Democratic Turn?’, which addressed the radical use and re-use of classical material, texts and ideas by different groups and communities over the last thirty or forty years. It was a jam-packed programme, but we still managed to record interviews with some of the conference participants, which give an insight into some of the issues that were discussed.

In this first interview, Elton talks to Professor Nurith Yaari from Tel Aviv University about her work on the reception of Greek tragedy by Israeli playwrights. She explains how ancient myths allow audiences to gain new perspectives on contemporary conflicts, and how her practical experience as artistic consultant for the Jerusalem Khan Theatre has enriched her academic work (and vice versa).

To watch the interview, click on the image below. And you can follow this link to read all the speaker abstracts from the Democratic Turn conference.