A Day at the Games: Theatrical Environment and Experience in Catullus 64

I argue that Catullus evokes both on- and offstage elements of the Roman theatrical experience to simulate the experience of attending a play at Roman ludi in c. 64. The offstage elements that Catullus evokes include the audience’s behavior, the physical performance space, and the embodied sensory experience of attending ludi and watching a theatrical performance. Understanding that Catullus evokes this experience in c. 64 allows for a more nuanced understanding of the poem and particularly its famous coda about moral decline.