Lysistrata 1 Favorite 

Lysistrata, by Aristophanes, was first performed in Athens in 411 BC. The play, while fictional, can be read as an early example of creative activism. It is about Lysistrata's quest to end the war between Athens and Sparta. She gathers the women of Athens and makes them swear an oath to deny their lovers and husband sex until they end the war. While the play in some ways includes the stereotype of women as irrational and in need of protection, it also demonstrates the possible collective power of women, the reclaiming of their bodies, and the potential revolutionary forces of sex. The play has been taken up by contemporary feminist and anti-war theatre practitioners. The Lysistrata Project, a peace protest initiative, organized thousands of readings of Lysistrata internationally on March 3, 2003 in response to the Iraq disarmament crisis.