Dr. Ismene Lada Richards

Biography

Ismene Lada-Richards is a Professor of Classical Literature and Performance Culture at King's College London. She obtained her PhD from Cambridge University, with Richard Hunter as her supervisor. Before her appointment at King's College in 1999, she served as a Junior Research Fellow at St John's College, Cambridge, and held a lectureship in Classics at the University of Nottingham starting in 1995. Her research interests are broad, encompassing Greek and Roman literature and culture, with particular focus on the performance dimension of Greek drama, the history and practice of acting in antiquity, and Graeco-Roman pantomime dancing. She emphasizes the perception of antiquity and the reflections of imperial literature in the post-Renaissance, especially during the 18th century. Lada-Richards also explores the interface of elite and popular culture in antiquity, as well as comparative cultural studies related to theatre and the performance history of ancient traditions. She is dedicated to supervising students interested in pantomime dancing and ancient theatrical culture, particularly the performance aspects of fifth-century drama and the early reception of tragedy literature and art.

Research Interests

Experience