The Body in the Theatre-The Body on the Operating Table Super Hospital with Performative Entertainment

Abstract

Epidaurus is world famous as a well-preserved ancient theatre with good acoustics. The daily tourists are informed that it was connected to the medical sanctuary behind it. In the museum below the theatre, you can clearly see that this 'sanctuary' was a highly specialized super hospital. The instruments on display document surgical expertise on joints, muscles, internal organs and the brain.

Epidaurus Medical Centre was from the 3rd century BC and a few hundred years later the Mediterranean world most specialized hospital. In addition to injuries from war, sports and old-age, medical and mental illnesses could also be treated here.

Outside the very large hospital and the hotel for the relatives, a space was set up with at theatre to entertain patients and relatives. The popular genres of music, dance and reprise theatre (4th century classical comedies and tragedies) were shown here. International music and sports competitions for the entire Greek-speaking Mediterranean world took place here too thanks to large and persistent sponsorships for the super hospital. At the same time, the medical understanding of 'recovery' at the time contained a series of aesthetic experiences of a visual, aural and rhythmic nature, which could be fully achieved within a theatre space: The operated or weakened body had during medical treatment to be exposed to the singing and dancing body to ensure safe healing and complete recovery.

Using the example of Epidaurus, my paper will analyse the relationship between the two bodies - the medical and the artistic - the latter's healthy function for the former. What scientific thinking and experience was behind it? In addition – attending a performance at Epidaurus you have at the same time the most beautiful view of the Greek Peloponnesian landscape. As an audience you can at the same time concentrate and relax, take the landscape in.