I was watching the first season of Rome and had an interesting idea for portraying the news.

In modern times, we have political cartoonists, television shows, radio programs, that all discuss the news. In Roman times, they had actors on stage acting out the “news” of recent battles in a comical fashion. I just saw one showing Vorenus saving Pullo in the arena, which sparked this idea.

What about a comedy troupe that acts out modern news in a comical fashion. I wonder if this is done at all? It's not based on repetition like plays. It's more like an NPR 5 Minute News Update, live on stage, making fun of the current news.

That'd be interesting. It's just fascinating to see the Roman equivalent to things that are still being done today. Time to go hunt down the Onion podcast.