The Melian Dialogues/Do What You Must

The ancient Greek writer Thucydides is widely cited as an authority, not just on the events of ancient history that he narrated in his work but on modern politics. He is seen as someone who had a deep understanding of power, conflict and ideology that is still relevant today - "exiled Thucydides knew", as W.H. Auden observed of the rise of fascism and the outbreak of World War II - and his ideas are quoted in relation to issues as diverse as US-China relations, the rise of polarised rhetoric and culture war, the decay of democracy in the face of populism, and Brexit. However, many of these interpretations are simplistic, if not misleading; they reduce Thucydides' ideas to trite catch-phrases that happen to reinforce modern assumptions, whereas the real drive of his work is to open up problems and questions, revealing the world to be more complex and unpredictable than people tend to assume.

This is perhaps most clearly seen in the famous passage known as the Melian Dialogue, in which the imperialistic Athenians demand the surrender of the neutral city of Melos, and the Melians desperately try to find a way out. This is a powerful confrontation of different views on power and justice and different assumptions about the way the world works. However, in most readings the ideas of the Athenians are treated as the view of Thucydides, and assumed to be true, while the Melians are disregarded - and the theatrical nature of the passage is simply ignored. On the few occasions when the Dialogue has been staged, it has been in a deliberately low-key manner, focused solely on the text and limited to issues of inter-state conflict, neglecting the possibility of applying Thucydides' ideas to other unequal relationships (citizen and state, for example, or personal relationships) or of making full use of its dramatic potential.

This project aims to take the Melian Dialogue seriously as a theatrical text, combining academic research into the ways Thucydides has been interpreted in the modern world with the creative expertise of theatre practitioners and performers. 'The Melian Dialogues' will stage the piece in multiple iterations, providing a unique opportunity for audiences to encounter it in a more visceral and robust way than usual, viewed from multiple perspectives, emphasising multivocality and evoking multiple meanings and questions. 'Do What You Must' will then develop it as a piece of interactive theatre, placing the audience within the Dialogue, confronted with the dilemmas faced by either Athenians or Melians, and inviting them to reflect on their choices and feelings.

Both phases of the project will provide audiences with a radically new way of experiencing ideas that are normally encountered, if at all, only as a sober and forbidding text whose meaning has already been determined. Opening up the issues and focusing on dialogue - between the Athenians and Melians, but also between performers and audience, and between participants in the interactive piece - will offer better understanding of the dynamics of power and negotiation. This is an essential skill for living in society, but is especially relevant for anyone in the public or private sectors involved with negotiations and management, for whom we will then be developing the project as a professional development resource.

The Melian Dialogue offers deep insights into the dynamics of situations of unequal power, the problems of conflict and negotiation, and the ways that both strong and weak think, act and speak. Better understanding of the dynamics of power and negotiation is an essential skill for living in society, relevant to people of all ages and professions, but we see especial relevance for anyone in the public or private sectors involved with negotiations and management, especially where the balance of power is uneven.

'The Melian Dialogues' will be advertised primarily to those already interested in the classical world and/or in Thucydides and his contemporary relevance - students and teachers at school and university level, in politics and international relations as well as in classical students - but also to anyone interested in theatre and the staging of classical texts. This audience will be encouraged by the performance to reflect on issues of power and weakness, and to consider the different situations where such a dynamic might be encountered. For the longer term, both the performance and the subsequent discussion will be recorded, and made available on the web together with contextual and explanatory material (informed by feedback gathered from the audience) as a resource for schools (for classes in citizenship and politics, not just classical subjects) and others interested in exploring Thucydides and his contemporary relevance. The initial performance will reach perhaps 50-60 people; we anticipate that the web recordings and other material will reach many thousands, albeit without us being able to measure impact in detail.

'Do What You Must' immerses its participants in the situation, where they have to work as a team to try to negotiate a favourable outcome; this encourages them to consider issues of power, rhetoric and uncertainty, and to reflect at the end on their choices and feelings about the experience. It will become part of fanSHEN's repertoire, and therefore accessible in due course to a much wider range of people in the UK than 'The Melian Dialogues' (their previous productions have played in cities like York, Nottingham, Edinburgh and London). As with 'The Melian Dialogues', the aim is that these participants will gain a deeper understanding of power and negotiation, in a far more enjoyable, engaging and interactive manner than a lecture or book. In addition, however, we see clear potential for this piece as a professional development resource for those in the public or private sectors who need to develop skills and understanding in negotiation and management, and in preliminary discussions the Home Office, NHS and BMA in London have already expressed interest in commissioning private sessions for training purposes. The PI is also exploring, in collaboration with the University's Impact, Innovation and Business service, further possibilities for commercialisation, including developing resources for Business Management Courses or creating an online package that can be made available via the Kellogg Business School at Northwestern University.