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Category: 2022

OFFICIAL PERFORMANCES’ PROGRAMME

Written by on . Posted in 2023, Press 2022.

Four productions will be presented in this year’s International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama, co-organised by the Deputy Ministry of Culture, the Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.

The International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama raises its curtain once again and is ready to offer to the public a month, full of inspiring theatrical moments. The audience will enjoy four productions of high artistic level, contemporary aesthetic and artistic approach by a group of prominent theatre organisations.

This year’s Festival will take place from July 10 to August 5, 2023, and the performances will be presented at the Makarios III Amphitheatre in Nicosia, the Curium Ancient Theatre in Limassol and the Ancient Odeon in Paphos.

The productions of the Festival

The award-winning Cypriot director Kostas Silvestros returns to the Festival seven years after Plutus, a production that caused a sensation to audiences and critics alike. The director will present, in a poetic mood, a production of the Sophoclean tragedy Antigone, having at his side, an exceptional group of artists of the contemporary Cypriot theatre scene. The Cypriot production marks the opening of the Festival and will be presented at the Makarios III Amphitheatre on July 10, at the Paphos Ancient Odeon on July 18 and at the Curium Ancient Theatre on July 21.

The next production is The Trojan Women by Euripides produced by the National Theatre of Northern Greece (NTNG). Directed by Christos Sougaris, music composed by Stefanos Korkolis, the production includes a superb cast of actors, amongst them, Roula Pateraki in the role of Hecuba. The production of the NTNG will be presented at the Curium Ancient Theatre, for two performances, on July 14 and 15.

The internationally renowned and acclaimed Greek director, Theodoros Terzopoulos, directs the Hungarian National Theatre’s production of The Bacchae by Euripides, featuring a remarkable cast of Hungarian actors. The great master of theatre, with his unwavering decade-long international theatrical presence, introduces his sixth directorial approach to The Bacchae. The thrilling Euripidean tragedy will be presented at the Curium Ancient Theatre on July 29 and at the Makarios III Amphitheatre on July 31.

The National Theatre of Greece participates in the Festival with the masterpiece Hippolytus by Euripides, directed by the distinguished theatre director and Artistic Director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, Katerina Evangelatos. With a group of renowned artists and a stellar cast of 24 actors and four musicians on stage, the director delves into the savage world of Euripides’ play, presenting yet another interesting approach to ancient Greek drama. The production of the National Theatre of Greece will be presented for two performances, at the Curium Ancient Theatre on August 4 and 5.

Tickets sales are now on:
▫ SOLDOUT TICKETS
▫ STEPHANIS stores
▫ TIME OUT KIOSK Paphos

Info: 7000 2414 │ www.greekdramafest.com

Ticket prices:
▫ €12 regular
▫ €8 concessions (for students, senior citizens, National Guard, unemployed)
▫ €35 festival pass (per person for attending all four performances)
For more info at www.greekdramafest.com

FESTIVAL’S PROGRAMME

KOSTAS SILVESTROS & STAVROS STAVROU
ANTIGONE by Sophocles
Directed by Kostas Silvestros
▪ Monday, July 10 │ Makarios III Amphitheatre
▪ Tuesday, July 18 │ Paphos Ancient Odeon
▪ Friday, July 21 │ Curium Ancient Theatre
With English surtitles

NATIONAL THEATRE OF NORTHERN GREECE
THE TROJAN WOMEN by Euripides
Directed by Christos Sougaris
▪ Friday, July 14 │ Curium Ancient Theatre
▪ Saturday, July 15 │ Curium Ancient Theatre
With English surtitles

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL THEATRE
THE BACCHAE by Euripides
Directed by Theodoros Terzopoulos
▪ Saturday, July 29 │ Curium Ancient Theatre
▪ Monday, July 31 │ Makarios III Amphitheatre
With Greek and English surtitles

NATIONAL THEATRE OF GREECE
HIPPOLYTUS by Euripides
Directed by Katerina Evangelatos
▪ Friday, August 4 │ Curium Ancient Theatre
▪ Saturday, August 5 │ Curium Ancient Theatre
With English surtitles

The organisers’ goal is to continue the ascending and successful course of the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama, as well as, to ensure the artistic quality of the productions and the greatest possible attendance and access of the Cypriot audience and foreign visitors to the performances. The Festival will thus succeed in enhancing and cultivating theatre education and in upgrading cultural tourism in Cyprus.

A total of 38 proposals were submitted for participation this year, by theatre organisations and artists from 22 countries. After examining and evaluating the proposals, the seven-member Selection Committee resulted in formulating a diverse programme of productions, with special emphasis on quality.

Selection Committee
The Selection Committee for the Festival 2023, consisted of one representative of the Deputy Ministry of Culture: Georgia Hoplarou, Cultural Officer/Chair of the Committee; two representatives of the Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute (CCOITI): Emilios Charalambides, Academic, Director, Secretary of the Board of Directors of the CCOITI and Nicos Theophanous, Director, Member of the Board of Directors of the CCOITI; one representative of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism: Andri Tomasidou, Assistant Tourism Officer and of three members according to merit, appointed by the Deputy Minister of Culture: Elena Agathocleous, Director/Actor, Elena Katsouri, Set designer and Apostolos Kouroupakis, Cultural editor of the newspaper “Kathimerini Cyprus”.

 

Announcement of the official programme of the performances

Written by on . Posted in Press 2022.

5 productions compose this year’s programme of the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama, co-organised by the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth, the Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.

25 years after the first Festival in 1997, the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama is raising the curtain this year on July 6, in order to offer the theatre-loving public a month full of powerful and emotional moments.

This year’s 25th anniversary edition of the Festival, which will take place from July 6 to August 6 2022, includes five productions of the highest artistic standards with a contemporary aesthetic and artistic approach on ancient Greek drama, staged by important theatre organisations. The productions will be presented at the Paphos Ancient Odeon, the Makarios III Amphitheatre in Nicosia and the Curium Ancient Theatre.

Once again, this year, the organisers’ aim is to continue the upward and successful course of the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama, in order to ensure the artistic quality of the productions and to attract as many Cypriots and foreign visitors to the performances, in order to upgrade and cultivate theatrical education, and to ensure the Festival’s contribution to cultural tourism in Cyprus.

A total of 42 proposals for participation in this year’s Festival were submitted by theatre organisations and artists from 20 countries.

The seven-member Selection Committee, which examined and very carefully evaluated the proposals that were submitted and met the criteria for participation in the Festival, formulated an extremely open and diverse programme of productions.

 

The five productions of this year’s festival

The festival will open with Oedipus the King by Sophocles, from Bosnia Herzegovina, in a joint production between the National Theatre of Sarajevo and the International MESS Theatre Festival. Oedipus, the cursed king of Thebes, son and murderer of Laius, son of Jocasta and father of her children, in an effort to unravel the thread of events, finds himself at the centre of the labyrinth, with himself as the target. Through his directorial approach, distinguished Slovenian director, Diego de Brea, underlines the coldness, suffering, barbarity and evil that emanate from people as if from Pandora’s Box. This tragedy by Sophocles will be presented at Paphos Ancient Odeon on July 6 and at Makarios III Amphitheatre on July 8.

The Poreia Theatre is participating in this year’s Festival with Aeschylus’s masterpiece, Prometheus Bound, translated by Giorgos Blanas and directed by Aris Biniaris, with a distinguished cast: Yannis Stankoglou in the leading role, Konstantinos Georgalis, David Malteze, Alekos Syssovitis, Nancy Boukli and Ioannis Papazisis. Director Aris Biniaris, has drawn inspiration from the rhythmical qualities of the text, and continues his study on ancient tragedies with the actors transforming the sounds and rhythms of the poetic text into theatrical action using their bodies and voices. Against the backdrop of a pulsating, live soundscape, the performers bring to life the characters of an age-old but always relevant story in which Prometheus becomes a timeless symbol of resistance. This devastating tragedy by Aeschylus which was performed with enormous success at the Epidaurus Festival in 2021 and was loved by both critics and public, will be presented at Curium Ancient Theatre on July 22 and 23.

The National Theatre of Northern Greece (NTNG) is returning to the Festival after a three-year absence, with Euripides’ Helen, translated by Pantelis Boukalas and directed by Vasilis Papavassiliou, with a numerous cast of actors and musicians on stage. Euripides drew inspiration from the version of the myth created by the lyric poet Stesichorus and not from Homer. He depicts the Trojan War as a massacre carried out for the sake of a ‘simulacrum’ and not a real woman. Through an imaginative directorial approach, the NTNG production highlights the comic elements of Euripides’ Helen, creating a celebratory atmosphere, an anti-war clash on stage. Helen will be presented at Curium Ancient Theatre on July 29 and 30.

The National Theatre of Greece is presenting the emblematic Ajax by Sophocles, directed by Argyris Xafis with a cast of major leading actors and artists. The main roles are portrayed by Stathis Stamoulakatos, Dimitris Imellos, Despina Kourti, Tassos Mikelis, Giannis Dalianis, Evi Saoulidou, Christos Stylianou and Nikos Hatzopoulos. Ajax, a warrior equal to Achilles, becomes a deadly enemy to the leaders of the army and a toy in the hands of the gods, and proves unable to follow the spirit of the newly emerging age. In Ajax, Sophocles records a seminal moment in human history: the moment in which a new world is born and the old collapses, with the old heroes and their ideals crashing with it headlong into the abyss. Ajax which will be performed at Curium Ancient Theatre on August 5 and 6, will through a curtain in the programme of this year’s Festival.

PERFORMANCES’ PROGRAMME

 

 

Performances 2022

Written by on . Posted in 2022.

OEDIPUS THE KING by Sophocles

SARAJEVO NATIONAL THEATRE & MESS INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Directed by Diego de Brea

Wednesday, July 6 │ Paphos Ancient Odeon
Friday, July 8 │ Makarios III Amphitheatre

With Greek and English surtitles

Performances start at 21:00
Please arrive at the theatre before 20:15

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ELECTRA.25 based on the tragedies by Sophocles and Euripides

ΑTALAYA TEATRO, Spain

Directed by Ricardo Iniesta

Saturday, July 16 │ Paphos Ancient Odeon
Monday, July 18 │ Makarios III Amphitheatre

With Greek and English surtitles

Performances start at 21:00
Please arrive at the theatre before 20:15

Read more

PROMETHEUS BOUND by Aeschylus

POREIA THEATRE, Greece

Directed by Aris Biniaris

Friday, July 22 │ Curium Ancient Theatre
Saturday, July 23 │ Curium Ancient Theatre

With Greek and English surtitles

Performances start at 21:00
Please arrive at Curium Ancient Theatre before 20:00

Read more

HELEN by Euripides

NATIONAL THEATRE OF NORTHERN GREECE

Directed by Vassilis Papavassiliou

Friday, July 29 │ Curium Ancient Theatre
Saturday, July 30 │ Curium Ancient Theatre

With Greek and English surtitles

Performances start at 21:00
Please arrive at Curium Ancient Theatre before 20:00

Read more

AJAX by Sophocles

NATIONAL THEATRE OF GREECE

Directed by Argyris Xafis

Friday, August 5 │ Curium Ancient Theatre
Saturday, August 6 │ Curium Ancient Theatre

With Greek and English surtitles

Performances start at 21:00
Please arrive at Curium Ancient Theatre before 20:00

Read more

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Press 2022

Written by on . Posted in 2022.

2022 International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama

5 productions compose this year’s programme of the “International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama”, co-organised by the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth, the Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.

25 years after the first Festival in 1997, the “International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama” is raising the curtain this year on July 6, in order to offer the theatre-loving public a month full of powerful and emotional moments.

Read More

Selection Committee

The Selection Committee was composed by: Nadia Stylianou, Senior Cultural Officer at the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth / Chair of the Committee, Georgia Hoplarou, Cultural Officer at the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth, Varnavas Kyriazis, actor, director,  President of CCOITI, Andreas Araouzos, director, actor, Vice President of CCOITI, Paraskevi Constantinou, Tourism Officer at the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and two ex officio members: Apostolos Kouroupakis, Cultural editor at “Kathimerini Cyprus” newspaper and Elena Agathokleous, director, actress.

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AJAX by Sophocles

Written by on . Posted in Performances.

AJAX by Sophocles

NATIONAL THEATRE OF GREECE

  • Friday, August 5

    Curium Ancient Theatre

  • Saturday, August 6

    Curium Ancient Theatre

Performances start at

Please arrive at Curium Ancient Theatre before 20:00

21:00

Duration

100 minutes

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Sophocles’ tragedy Ajax is presented by the National Theatre of Greece, under the direction of Argyris Xafis and featuring an outstanding cast and crew.

In this tragedy, which was presented around 440 BC and is set during the tenth year of the Trojan War, Ajax, the greatest warrior of the Greek camp, following the death of Achilles, lays claim to the dead hero’s armour, but the Greek leaders decide to award it to Odysseus. Deeply offended by this terrible injustice, he takes his sword and goes out into the night to wreak revenge, but Athena makes him go mad, turning his anger into a wild rage which he unleashes onto the flocks of the Greeks, slaughtering them. When he realizes what he has done, his dignity cannot bear the humiliation and he commits suicide.

Ajax, central among Sophocles’ surviving tragedies, was written in peaceful times. However, the stage for the Peloponnesian War was already being set. Once an admired warrior on a par with Achilles, Ajax ends up becoming a deadly enemy of the army leaders and a pawn in the hands of gods, unable to grasp the spirit of a newly emerging era. This ancient tragedy does not recount the fall of the hero but his unique, posthumous redemption and glorification.

WITH ENGLISH SURTITLES

  • Translation

    Nikos A. Panagiotopoulos

  • Direction

    Argyris Xafis

  • Adaptation

    Aspasia-Maria Alexiou, Argyris Xafis

  • Set design

    Maria Panourgia

  • Costume design

    Ioanna Tsami

  • Music

    Kornilios Selamsis

  • Choreography

    Hara Kotsali

  • Lighting design

    Alekos Anastasiou

  • Assistant director

    Maria Savvidou

  • Music coach

    Melina Peonidou

  • Vocal preparation

    Apostolos Kitsos

  • Dramaturg

    Aspasia-Maria Alexiou

  • First directing assistant

    Maya Kyriazi

  • Second directing assistant

    Vasiliki Athanasopoulou

  • Assistant to the Set designer

    Sofia Theodoraki

Cast (in alphabetical order):

  • Menelaus

    Giannis Dalianis

  • Agamemnon

    Nikos Hatzopoulos

  • Odysseus

    Dimitris Imellos

  • Athena

    Despina Kourti

  • Eurysaces

    Tassos Mikelis

  • Tecmessa

    Evi Saoulidou

  • Ajax

    Stathis Stamoulakatos

  • Teucer

    Christos Stylianou

  • Chorus

    Asimina Anastasopoulou,
    Eirini Boudali,
    Dimitris Georgiadis,
    Erato Karathanasi,
    Afroditi Katsarou,
    Lambros Konstanteas,
    Fanis Kosmas,
    Efstathia Lagiokapa,
    Alkiviadis Maggonas,
    Fotis Stratigos

  • Musicians on stage

    Menelaos Moraitis (tuba),
    Manos Ventouras (french horn),
    Spyros Vergis (trombone)

  • Αίας PR photo by © Karol Jarek (44)

  • Αίας PR photo by © Karol Jarek (55)

  • Αίας PR photo by © Karol Jarek (56)

  • Αίας PR photo by © Karol Jarek (57)

  • Αίας PR photo by © Karol Jarek (62)

  • Αίας PR photo by © Karol Jarek (73)

  • Αίας PR photo by © Karol Jarek (75)

  • Αίας PR photo by © Karol Jarek (76)

  • Αίας PR photo by © Karol Jarek (81)

  • DIRECTOR’S NOTE

    “How long is forever?”

    The first word of Ajax is “Αεί” meaning “Always”. There is no other work by Sophocles that is so preoccupied by time as a theme. A little later, the chorus sings of time’s therapeutic and revelatory properties. However, Ajax sees the world as a fluid universe without its healing powers. Here only one thing is certain: uncertainty. There is no exception to this law.

    The woman that once was his spoils of war now adores him.

    The Greeks that once were his friends and comrades now hate him.

    Odysseus, whom he hates most of all, now pities him.

    And “by coincidence”, Ajax shares the same destructive fate as his worst enemy, Hector.

    Ajax sees the world as it actually is and, in his attempt, to swim against the tide, he finds himself. He is driven by his inner demon, his “eternal destiny”. In order to remain Ajax he must cease to be. He must take his own life, escaping choice, chance and change. “The rest is to be said to the dead in Hades” are his final words, as he becomes a myth for all eternity, passing from the ephemeral to the everlasting.

    In this production, we aim to take advantage of the countless possibilities that present themselves while exploring what it truly means to have a play unfold in a time of war, and how these possibilities are conveyed in stage poetry beyond a literal description of war’s horrors. This is the core of my thinking in choosing a mixed chorus. Moreover, how should the endlessness and pointlessness of the Trojan War after nine whole years be presented theatrically? A war -much alike many present wars- aiming to over in fifteen days.

    It is a terribly modern play. And by an unfortunately awful coincidence for me, a personal one. I want to dedicate this production to my father, whom I tragically lost a few months ago. And exactly as in Ajax, we had to endure a cruel and interminable wait for his burial. Sophocles captures how the world will be from now on, a world without Ajax. Without heroes. The speeches and dialogues after he is gone are unheroic. Full of cynicism, cheap threats, vindictiveness and shouting. Any sign of lyricism dies with Ajax. There is no greatness. Even death gradually seems more realistic. Though absent, he remains dynamically present in a world full of small people – exactly as the chorus said in the parodos: “The small without the great are an unguarded fortress”. At the same time, we are entering a more democratic era. An era where it is more possible to compromise and interact with each other’s views, in which Ajax would not have been able to endure.

    The burden and responsibility of being a hero must now be shared with everyone. The virtue of aristocracy must now be democratized.

     

    Argyris Xafis

  • NATIONAL THEATRE OF GREECE

    Greece’s first state theatre company was the Royal Theatre, which was founded in 1901 and continued its operations until 1908. It was re-established under the name National Theatre in 1930 and opened for the public in March 1932. During its 90 years of life, the National Theatre of Greece (NTG) has succeeded in creating a powerful theatrical tradition. The NTG Drama School was founded in 1930, and has since operated in tandem with the GNT.

    The repertoire of the National Theatre aims at polyphony, promoting a dialogue between tradition, the present and the future. The revival of Ancient Greek Drama remains a key area of interest for the National Theatre as part of its efforts to pay due respect to tradition while also exploring new theatrical trends. In 1938 the National Theatre of Greece performed its first open-air production of ancient drama, Sophocles’ Electra; the first performance after centuries at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. In 1955 the NTG established the Festival of Epidaurus.

    Today, the National Theatre has six stages: two at the Ziller Building, three in the Rex Theatre, as well as at the School of Athens – Irene Papas (open-air theatre). The National Theatre is always open to collaborations with theatres and artists – tours, joint productions with major theatres abroad, participation in international festivals, educational programmes, invitations to important contemporary artists; these are all part of the effort to broaden an already established network. Τhe NTG was a member of the European Theatre’s Union (2009-2020).

    The Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Greece is the director Yannis Moschos.

    www.n-t.gr

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