Classics Professor to Lecture on Mothers and the Epic

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Williamstown – Antonios Augoustakis, assistant professor of Classics at Baylor University, will deliver a lecture "Mother as Makers of Same and Other in Flavian Epic," Tuesday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Stetson Faculty Lounge. The event is free and open to the public. In his presentation, Augoustakis will re-examine the fundamental aim of epic poetry in the late first century C.E., and argue that women come to the foreground of action simultaneously as heroines and readers. To propagate the male ideology of the Roman Empire, Flavian poets promote the ideals of the glorious Roman past or underscore the failure of mythical heroines as mothers and wives. Despite this fact, the old male ideology is simultaneously destabilized as women assume a key role in securing and promoting their sons' prosperous future. Augoustakis is associate director of the Baylor in Italy program. He received his B.A. from the University of Crete, Greece, and this Ph.D. in Classics from Brown University. He is currently working on a monograph on the role of women in Latin epic poetry of the first century C.E. (Silius Italicus' Punica and Statius' Thebaid) for Oxford University Press, titled "Motherhood and the Other: Fashioning Female Power in Flavian Epic." He is the author of articles on Silius Italicus, Statius, and Pliny the Younger. His research interests include Roman historiography (Pliny and Tacitus), late Latin poetry and historiography (Claudian, Corippus, Ammianus Marcellinus), and Renaissance Latin poetry (Petrarch, Poliziano, Vegio). The event is sponsored by the Williams College classics department.
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Barrington Stage Devised Theatre: 'The Wild Tale of Skylar Squirrel'

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Arts Education Fund's 2024 Devised Theatre Ensemble presents "The Wild Tale of Skylar Squirrel: Acorny New Musical" with performances July 26-28 at Berkshire Community College. 
 
Performances: July 26 at 7pm, July 27 at 2pm and 7pm, and July 28 at 2pm. Pay what you can and reserve your seat today at 413-236-8888 or barringtonstageco.org.
 
According to a press release:
 
When Skylar P Squirrel and her cousin Joey are entrusted with a map that reveals the location of their colony's buried acorns, a horrible hawk steals it and sets them out on a wild adventure that will change their lives forever. Don't miss this hilarious original musical for young audiences at Berkshire Community College, featuring the talents of local teens from across Berkshire County. 
 
Starring and devised by: Sam Barry, Isabella "Izzy" Brown, Madelyn Rork Craig, Frankie Evans, Connie Gordon, Fiona Gordon,
Kendall Heck, Mason LaDouceur, Nell Laney, Carter Marks, Sara-Louise Oakes, Sebastian Mark Shoemaker, and Sage Winkler.
 
This program is a natural outgrowth of BSC's Educational programming with KidsAct! and TeensAct! which focuses on devising new work. 
 
Directed by Sam LaFrage and Jane O'Leary, Music Director Gaylan Palmer. Production Stage Manager Olivia Spreen. Production Assistants Ari Caine and Iris Semon Pike.
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