From Terry Byrnes' theater section in The Boston Herald, April 23, 1999                                Mirabile dictu! More than 2,000 years ago, a Roman playwright named Plautus was making audiences laugh with double entendres, a series of slamming doors and goofy plot lines about prostitutes, ghosts and slaves.           Last week at the Strand Theater, nearly 1,000 Latin students found themselves laughing at those same jokes in Theater Ludicrum's production of Plautus's The Haunted House (Mostellaria).  Although the students are studying Latin, the play was presented in English with a translation by classics teacher George Bistransin.           "I give teachers a brief version of the play in Latin so they can familiarize their students with it," says Bistransin, "and when I do the translation, I try to keep it as close to Plautus as I can.  It's amazing how funny his jokes still are."           In fact, Plautus's Mostellaria became the inspiration for the musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and the writers didn't have to go far to punch up the play's jokes.           Bistransin, who's been translating and directing these shows for his Theater Ludicrum since 1985, says Mostellaria and other ancient plays have a lot to offer both students and adults, even if you don't know a word of Latin.

What They Say About Theater Ludicrum

Some comments from teachers: "Just a note to tell you how much my students and I enjoyed the production of The Rope at the Strand Theater this past Wednesday.  Your group succeeded in making a play written 2200 years ago come alive for a group of high school students.  They were fascinated by the story and characters and loved the jokes!  I myself am interested in reading some more Plautus." "It was really fun to have [my students] read the play they saw."

"I wanted to let you know how much my students and I enjoyed the performance of The Rope last week.  Each of my students had a different favorite character, and they were surprised at how funny the play was.  I think it is the best performance I have seen in the last five or six years.  The actors did a wonderful job!  They really put their hearts into the performance.  They also spoke especially clearly, so it was easy to follow the plot and catch all of the jokes.  Also, the characteristics of Plautine comedy were well highlighted.  Please relay our praise and gratitude to the cast.  And, of course, thank you for making this rare opportunity to my Latin students available year after year!"

"[The Strand Morning Series] gives students a terrific opportunity to see Plautus and live theater." "Surprisingly authentic and effective Roman theater.... [I liked most] the outstanding and accurate translation of the Latin plays -- very amusing!  [The educational materials] were very helpful -- the materials make the plot and characters easily understood, even by beginning students.  Continue the good work!"