In 2017 much of all of the above came together in my mind as we were travelling through Greece taking in the historical sites fuelled by my partner Bob’s deep knowledge of Ancient Greek democracy.
As we travelled from site to site envisioning these people and their desire to find a new, less tyrannical, more equitable way to govern themselves, the presence of the amphitheatre became ubiquitous in this journey. Having studied Greek theatre in my Arts degree, this distant knowledge suddenly re-emerged in situ. Not only were these theatres places for political debate and collective decision making, they were also places for art- for plays. These performances bought Greeks together, to reflect on their humanity, interpret and question the politics of the day. The plays were tragic, satirical, moving and funny, both both entertaining and thought provoking.
Along with the Pynx and Agora, these deliberate public spaces allowed differences to be considered, shared futures to be contemplated, decisions to be made. They concentrated the mind of the demos around the responsibility of citizenship.
For all Earthkind 