The Great Festival

The Great Festival presents and analyzes two historical festivals - the ancient Dionysus Festival and the present Roskilde Festival. The purpose is to set up two comparable structures or 'codes' to explain the universal artistic effects, structures and fascination of the festival. Olav Harsløf argues that there are major structural, organizational and economic similarities which, when exposed, can give us greater insight into today's festivals. This is illuminated through a combined performance design and event analysis of the ancient Dionysus festival and today's Roskilde Festival, explaining the festival's historicity, diversity, complexity and paradigmatic strength. This will be a discussion of great interest to researchers and students in the fields of performance studies, experience economy, theater, music, classical philology and archeology.

Olav Harsløf is former professor at the Department of Performance Design, Roskilde University, Denmark, and before that head of The Danish National Academy of Theatre, and the Danish National Conservatory of Rhythmic Music. He has, together with Dorita Hannah, edited the book Performance Design (Museum Tusculanum Press 2008) and written the article "PHantom of the Operas in Sidney and Copenhagen"; and together with Erik Kristiansen edited the book Engaging Spaces - Sites of Performance, Interaction and Reflection (Museum Tusculanum Press 2015) and written the article "Space as Provocation".

Preface Introduction Festival Myths: "A Classic Tragedy" Dionysus at Roskilde? Festival and Carnival Performance Design Theoretics and Methodologies What is a Festival? Dionysian and Apollonian The Dilemma of Researching Antiquity Democracy or Phallocracy? In the Beginning was the Agora New Research The Scene is Set - and Moved The Dionysian Feast The Festival Square: Hall & Tribune The Wooden Greek Theater Repertoire The Playwrights Women in the Theater? Music and Song "The Singing Jar" The Music Culture Theater Music The Instruments Aulos and Auloi Notes Dance Theater Buck Song? Theater Sport and X-Factor The Festival Standard Program for Athens' Great Dionysian Feast in the Classical Era Tragedy's Paradigmatic Function The Cult of Dionysus Gods and Humans Orgy or Festival? The Pan Athenaic Festival The Procession Analysis Performance Studies "Social Drama" Antiquity's Social Drama Ritual and Entertainment "Restored Behavior" The Performative Space The Code of Dionysus The Roskilde Festival The Livestock Fairgrounds Research Situation and Methodology Music in Time - Time in Music The 68 Youth Revolution The Movements The Isle of Wight Woodstock The Three Woodstocks At Roskilde The Roskilde Foundation The Police The Canopy Symbol Organization and Economy The Music Instruments and Gear The Program Nude Culture The Great Liberation Orgies Mud Wrestling and the Naked Race Free Sex #MeToo The Accident The Festival's Leader Dionysus at Roskilde Roskilde The Code of Roskilde The Great Festival The Performative Space Bibliography Index