The annual escapade in Ancient Greek Drama is about to open in Paphos on 4th July at the Ancient Odean, this year the 16th International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama – 2012 organised under the Auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union promises to be as exciting as ever and give credence to the fact that the plays in their context are as relevant today as when first performed. The international performers will travel from Germany, Israel and United Kingdom, with representation from the theatre groups of Greece and Cyprus. Due to the complexity of this years Festival it will be wise to refer to the details below for the programme of locations and dates of the performances.
The Festival opens at the Paphos Anciant Odeon on Wednesday 4th July with the State Theatre Wiesbaden’s presentation of Agamemnon’s Children. This production is the first to depict the entire, interconnected story of Agamemnon’s children. Compiled and adapted for the state theatre of Wiesbaden, the text is based on plays by Euripides (Iphigenia at Aulis, Orestes and Iphigenia in Tauris) as well as Sophocles’ Electra. The synthesis of the four plays gives the audience the opportunity to view the lives of Agamemnon’s children from different points of view, as their destiny and their actions make them victimizers and victims in the cycle of violence inherent in the Atreides’ myth.
Then follows the Cyprus Theatre Organization (THOC) and their interpretation of Electra and Orestes, the Trial based on Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. The adaptation – direction is by Hanan Snir, an Israeli director well known to the friends of the Festival who in 2008 presented a stunning production of Antigone by the Cameri and the Habimah theatres. Nine performances of the play will be given at the three main venues plus the Patticheon Municipal Amphitheatre in Larnaca and the Municipal Amphitheatre in Deryneia.
The Neos Kosmos Theatre and director Vangelis Theodoropoulos will participate with The Assembly Women by Aristophanes, a joyful comedy which unfolds a series of hilarious scenes, with Daphne Lamprogianni as Praxagora, Kostas Koklas as Blepyrus and Pantelis Dentakis as Chremes. The women in Athens, under the leadership of Praxagora, appear in the Assembly, where they support the transfer of power to women. They win the power and hence everything seems to be possible!
The Mitos Theatre Group is one of the Cypriot Theatre Groups participating at the Festival, presenting Euripides’ Bacchae, a performance, which will bring to completion the group’s inspired theatre project that started in 2009. Lucas Valevski and Elena Agathokleous are leading the project. The Chorals are interpreted in ancient Greek and follow the rules of Prosody.
The Morphes Ekphrasis Theatre from Greece and the director Thomas Kindinis dedicate their Electra by Sophocles to Dimitris Rontiris on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the great director and teacher’s death. After successfully travelling all over Greece, this dynamic presentation of the ancient Greek drama will give the opportunity for theatre lovers to enjoy a powerful symbol of Electra’s struggle in this classic staging of the play.
Magdalena Zira and her Theatre Group of Cyprus will refresh theatre lovers with Aristophanes’ Frogs, directed by Magdalena who has dramatically adapted Vayos Liapis’ new translation. Dimitris Zavros’ musical synthesis will accompany the performance, which will combine tradition and innovation. A delightful comedy in which the god of drama Dionysus himself appears.
The Ruth Kanner Theatre Group from Israel will present The Eumenides by Aeschylus in a magnificent translation of the poet Ted Hughes. As director, Ruth Kanner writes in her note: “With dramatic sweep and by means of an exciting plot, the text brings human central conflicts to the stage”. The diachronic danger of enflamed violence is real and awe- inspiring. Athena’s warnings are particularly relevant, as if uttered today: Do not madden our young men, with the hiss of the whetstone, and the dream of the plunging blade.
The Skull of Yorick Productions, United Kingdom will bring a multinational cast of Italian, Greek, Cypriot and British performers presenting the stunning Opera Antigone, by Tommasso Traetta based on Sophocles’ ancient play, directed by Zamira Pascieri and Cassandra Demopoulou The internationally famed Greek soprano Jenny Drivala will interpret Antigone and Philippos Modinos, Creon.
The performances will be staged with Greek and English surtitles and commence at 9pm each evening.
DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME
CYPRUS THEATRE ORGANIZATION
ELECTRA AND ORESTES, THE TRIAL
BASED ON AESCHYLUS, SOPHOCLES, EURIPIDES
Tue 3 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
Wed 4 July Municipal Amphitheatre Deryneia
Fri 6 July Patticheon Municipal Amphitheatre Larnaka
Tue 10 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
Wed 11 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
Thurs 12 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
Sat 14 July Paphos Ancient Odeon
Wed 18 July Curium Ancient Theatre Limassol
Thurs 19 July Curium Ancient Theatre Limassol
HESSIAN STATE THEATRE WIESBADEN, GERMANY
AGAMEMNON’S CHILDREN
BASED ON EURIPIDES AND SOPHOCLES
Wed 4 July Paphos Ancient Odeon
Fri 6 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
NEOS KOSMOS THEATRE, GREECE
THE ASSEMBLY WOMEN
BY ARISTOPHANES
Mon 9 July Curium Ancient Theatre Limassol
Tue 10 July Curium Ancient Theatre Limassol
MITOS THEATRE GROUP, CYPRUS
BACCHAE
BY EURIPIDES
Mon 16 July Curium Ancient Theatre Limassol
Sat 21 July Paphos Ancient Odeon
Mon 23 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
MORPHES EKPHRASIS THEATRE, GREECE
ELECTRA
BY SOPHOCLES
Wed 18 July Paphos Ancient Odeon
Thurs 19 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
Fri 20 July Curium Ancient Theatre Limassol
MAGDALENA ZIRA AND HER THEATRE GROUP, CYPRUS
THE FROGS
BY ARISTOPHANES
Thurs 26 July Paphos Ancient Odeon
Fri 27 July Curium Ancient Theatre Limassol
Sun 29 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
RUTH KANNER THEATRE GROUP, ISRAEL
THE EUMENIDES
BY AESCHYLUS
Fri 27 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
Sat 28 July Curium Ancient Theatre Limassol
SKULL OF YORICK PRODUCTIONS, UNITED KINGDOM
ANTIGONE (OPERA)
BY TOMMASO TRAETTA BASED ON SOPHOCLES
Mon 30 July Curium Ancient Theatre Limassol
Tue 31 July Makarios III Amphitheatre Nicosia
TICKETS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM:
Nicosia:
TH.O.C., BOX OFFICE 77 77 27 17
Limassol:
Musical Paradise Shops 25 324 025 – 25 338 995 – 25 392 411
Paphos:
Stokkos Kiosk 26 947 037
Time Out Kiosk 26 949 522
Or On-Line:
ENTRANCE: €17 - €10 (Senior Citizens, Students and National Guard)
FESTIVAL INFO 99 542 165 99 388 160
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