The building is architecturally influenced by the Greek style, a fact picked up on by audience members. There is a long tradition of Masque and Gown performing plays on the Museum steps. The Greek comedy, written by Aristophanes, was originally performed in 411 BCE. The play follows a group of women who withhold sex from their male partners in hopes of ending the Peloponnesian War-a lighthearted end to Ivies weekend. This past Sunday, Masque and Gown put on a modernized and translated rendition of the Greek play, “Lysistrata,” on the Bowdoin College Museum of Art steps. Translator Francesca Kusserow ’24 brought the play’s jokes to modern day. 's appeal in the modern world lies not only in its racy subject matter, but also in its potential to be recast as a feminist, pacifist or otherwise subversive play that openly challenges the political and social status quo.Courtesy of Sinclaire Ledahl SAUCY SPIN: Students act in the adapted version of the classic Greek play “Lysistrata” in a fusion of the ancient elements with contemporary humor. Has often been translated, adapted and performed in the modern era and this book also traces the ways in which it has been re-imagined and re-presented to new audiences. In its social and historical context, looking at key themes such as politics, religion and its provocative portrayal of women, as well as the play's language, humour and personalities, including the formidable and trailblazing Lysistrata herself. Is a lively and engaging introduction to this play aimed at students and scholars of classical drama alike. Remains as daring and thought-provoking today as it would have been for its original audience in Classical Athens. With its risqué humour, vibrant battle of the sexes, and themes of war and peace, First staged in 411 BCE, its action famously revolves around a sex strike launched by the women of Greece in an attempt to force their husbands to end the war. Is the most notorious of Aristophanes' comedies.

Modern lysistrata