ANTIGONE by Sophocles
ANTIGONE by Sophocles
KOSTAS SILVESTROS & STAVROS STAVROU
Monday, July 10
Makarios III Amphitheatre
Tuesday, July 18
Paphos Ancient Odeon
Friday, July 21
Curium Ancient Theatre
Performances start at
Please arrive at the theatre before 20:15
The award-winning Cypriot director Kostas Silvestros returns to the “International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama” seven years after Plutus (2016) – that had caused a sensation to audiences and critics alike – to present in a poetic mood a timely production of the Sophoclean tragedy Antigone.
With a select group of artists of the contemporary Cypriot scene at his side, the director stages a performance of particular power, inspiration and aesthetics that redefines ancient drama in today’s world, aiming to act as a “prayer” among the ruins of the modern world.
Antigone, perhaps the most popular tragedy by Sophocles and one of the finest works of ancient Greek drama, takes place in Thebes after the civil strife that led to the death of the two rival brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices. King Creon orders that Eteocles be buried with honours, leaving Polyneices unburied as an enemy of Thebes. But the sister of the two dead, Antigone, does not obey the order and decides to honour Polyneices with a proper burial. She is arrested and brought to Creon, who, following the laws of the state, sentences her to death.
Led by the excellent translation of Nikos A. Panayiotopoulos, the team experiments with new kinesiology forms and original sounds, to take us on a journey in the play’s dark universe, in search of a fresh take on Sophocles’ timeless text.
WITH ENGLISH SURTITLES
Suitable for ages 16+
Duration: 100 minutes
Translation
Nikos A. PanayiotopoulosDirection
Kostas SilvestrosMovement
Panayiotis TofiSet/Costume design
Constantina AndreouMusical composition
Dimitris Spyrou & Vasilis VasiliouLighting design
Vasilis PetinarisAssistant to the director
Irene AndreouAssistant to the set/costume designer
Iphigenia AvraamPhotographs
Demetris Loutsios
Executive producer
Stavros Stavrou
Cast:
Antigone
Christina PapadopoulouIsmene
Marina MandriCreon
Thanasis GeorgiouSentry
Giorgos EvagorouHaemon
Nicolas GrammatikopoulosTiresias
Haris AttonisChild
Andreas HadjimichaelMessenger
Andreas KoutsoumbasEurydice
Niovi CharalambousChorus
Stela Fyrogeni
Dimitris Spyrou
Vasilis Vasiliou
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Upon the ruins of this world, our Antigone comes to life with a mood that is more comforting than denunciatory. Upon the ruins of yesterday and today which have the same denominator: man.
I feel that no matter how you deal with such texts, no matter how much you want to place them in the present, they will always somehow slip away and float in a space-time of their own. John Gisborne wrote in 1821 “Some of us have, in a prior existence, been in love with an Antigone, and that makes us find no full content in any mortal tie.”
So it was with this sense of “discontentment” that I and a wonderful team of artists tried to grapple with right and wrong, fantasy and reality, life and death.
The performance I dreamed of, works in me more as a whisper and prayer than as an anguished cry. As a memory of what has passed, but also as a warning of what is to come.
My sincere thanks to the entire team who worked with me with faith and dedication, and especially to Stavros who took care of everything from the first moment of our application to the final staging. I thank the “International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama” and its people for their trust and our excellent cooperation.
I hope that the emotion brought to me by the richness of this masterpiece will also reach you, dear audience.
Kostas Silvestros
KOSTAS SILVESTROS & STAVROS STAVROU
The production of the show Antigone is a collaboration between the director and actor Kostas Silvestros and the philologist, lyrics-writer and cultural manager Stavros Stavrou.
Kostas Silvestros is a graduate of the Karolos Koun School of Drama. As a director and actor, he has collaborated with the Cyprus Theatre Organization (THOC) and many others theatres and theatre groups in Cyprus and Greece. In 2016, he participated in the “International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama” with his award-winning production Plutus by Aristophanes. He has also produced other shows that he has directed: The Little Prince in the Cypriot dialect, The Dream of a ridiculous Man and Happy Days.
Stavros Stavrou holds a degree in Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies from King’s College London and a master’s degree in Cultural and Creative Industries from the same university. As a lyrics-writer, he has collaborated with big names in the Greek music industry, while in the theatre industry, he has written the lyrics to a multitude of productions at the National Theatre of Greece, the Cyprus Theatre Organization (THOC) and many other theatres and theatre groups in both countries. He has also produced various shows and cultural projects. Furthermore, he is the President of the Centre of Theatre for Children and Young People – ASSITEJ Cyprus.
Antigone is the third production co-signed by the two artists. They have also co-produced STILL! – A statue that travelled the world (Nicosia International Arts Festival 2021), as well as A Midsummer Night’s Dream for children (a production of the KYPRIA International Festival), where they were the executive producers.
Their production STILL! – A statue that travelled the world, following its success in Cyprus, participated in renowned festivals in Armenia, Tunisia and Lithuania, while it continues its international tour in other countries too.
