VI

KATABASIS

 

The genesis of classic comoediae theatrum stems, of course, from the seat of art and civilization itself—Roma. Theater arts of the lesser provinces and client empires have gone in and out of fashion over the years, but comoediae is considered evergreen due to its signature plotlines and stock characters—the lecherous old man, the forbidden lovers, the trickster crim. Audiences are at ease knowing already where the play will end, and so naturally it becomes the getting there that matters.

—CHAPTER 4 INTRODUCTION, OCTAVIAN TITANISS THE DEFINITIVE IMPERIAL THEATER ARTS (3RD EDITION)