Mark Ringer
Title
Professor of Theatre Arts
Department
Theatre ArtsPhone
212-774-0712About
Dr. Mark Ringer is a Professor of Theatre Arts at MMC. Distinguished Chair 2012-2014.
A contributor to the “New York Times” and other publications, his books include “Electra and the Empty Urn: Metatheatre and Role Playing in Sophocles” (UNC Press, 1998), “Opera’s First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi” (Amadeus Press, 2006), “Schubert’s Theatre of Song” (Amadeus, 2009), “Euripides and the Boundaries of the Human” (Lexington, 2016) and “Bach’s Operas of the Soul” (Amadeus, 2021). He is currently writing his sixth book, “Aeschylus, Character, and the Yoke of Necessity.”
He has also worked as an actor, director, and dramaturge throughout the United States and Europe. His translations of Euripides’ “Bacchae” and Lessing’s “Nathan the Wise” have received successful performances as have several of his adaptations. He was seen Off Broadway as Polonius in two different stagings of “The Heart of My Mystery: The Hamlet Project”, an adaptation which he co-authored. His one- play fusion of Shakespeare’ s “Henry IV Parts I and II” was produced at the Shakespearean Theatre of Maine, a production in which he also played Falstaff. He has worked professionally on productions of half of Shakespeare’s plays. He collaborated on a translation of “Gould”, a play about Glenn Gould and Bach for the Stary Theatre in Krakow, Poland in 2019.
Degree(s)
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles
M.F.A., University of California, Los Angeles
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Recent Work
Publications:
Bach’s Operas of the Soul. New York, NY: Amadeus Press. 2021.
Presentations/Productions:
Gloucester” in King Lear. National Black Theatre. Take Wings and Soar Productions. New York, NY. February, 2009.
Dramaturgy for above production.
Research
His research areas include Ancient Greek Theatre, Shakespeare, and Opera. His first book, “Electra and the Empty Urn: Metatheatre and Role Playing in Sophocles” was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1998 and has strongly influenced international Theatre and Classical Studies. “Opera’s First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi” was published in 2006 by Amadeus Press and has received wide acclaim as the first general introduction to one of the most important figures in operatic and musical history. “Schubert’s Theatre of Song”, published by Amadeus Press in 2009 is the first general introduction to Schubert’s lieder in decades and breaks new ground in viewing German song performance as a sister art to theatre.
Mark Ringer was named a Distinguished Chair for 2012-2014 affording him research opportunities in Greece to complete his book, “Euripides and the Boundaries of the Human,” the first close reading of all nineteen of Euripides’ plays to be attempted in over seventy years. It has received unanimously superlative reviews in the international scholarly press. His most recent book, “Bach’s Operas of the Soul” is the first general listeners guide to the Bach church cantatas to be published in fifty years. He is currently writing a book about Aeschylus. Mark has contributed chapters to “Brill’s Companion to Euripides” and “Brill’s Companion to Aeschylus.”
Teaching
Dr. Ringer teaches Theater History, Shakespeare, Ancient Greek Drama and Culture, Opera, Being Beethoven: The Struggle for Freedom and the Finding of Heaven, Mozart’s Operas, Dramaturgy, as well as other subjects.