The Athens Festival announced today the artistic programming at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus.

As the festival’s announcement states, the administration of the institution, listening to the heavy climate of the last few days due to the recent tragedy in Tempi, decided to postpone the presentation of this year’s artistic program, which was to take place within this week, to April 3.

In order, however, to serve the timely programming of artists and spectators, today announced the artistic programming at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus.

The program, which includes 8 performances at the Argolic theater in July and August 2023, begins with Katerina Evagelatos, artistic director of the Festival, who returns to Epidaurus with the National Theater (after “Alkisti” which created a special sensation in 2017 ), staging “Hippolytus” by Euripides (July 7 & 8), translated by Kostas Topouzis.

The direction tries to dive into the wild universe of the play, seeing it as a modern nightmare in a poetic setting, where the characters struggle with their weaknesses and the love is so insane that it can only be fatal.

A strong troupe of 24 actors and four musicians (Kora Karvounis, Amalia Ninou, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Maria Skoulas, Elena Topalidou, Yiannis Tsortekis, Orestis Chalkias, etc.) will be constantly on stage.

For its second production, the National Theater invites the heretic Lena Kitsopoulou who, in her first directorial descent to Epidaurus, puts on an adaptation of Aristophanes’ scathing comedy, “Sphikes”, translated by Stelios Chronopoulos (July 14 & 15). Sixty years after the performance of Alexis Solomos, the subversive creator turns her gaze to the critical questions posed by the Aristophanic play, mocking modern pathologies in her own special way.

Among others, Emily Koliandris, Yiannis Kotsifas, Ioanna Mavrea, Panos Papadopoulos, Konstantinos Plemmenos and Thodoris Skyftoulis perform in the show.

Following the cycle of commissions of ancient works to leading European directors that began in 2021 with the invitation of Thomas Ostermeier and continued in 2022 with the world premieres of Johan Simmons and Ulrich Rasche, the Festival invites Frank Castorf to Epidaurus for the first time this year to direct “Medea” in a performance that gives the international stamp of this year’s program (July 21 & 22).

The innovative director, historic director of the Berlin Folksbine, who stamped the “German style” since the 1990s, will collaborate with great actors of our theater (Stefania Goulioti, Sofia Kokkali, Maria Naufliotou, Angeliki Papoulia, Evdokia Roumeliotis, Aineias Tsamatis, Nikolas Hanakoulas, Nikos Psarras) marrying the anarchic way of playing, improvisation and acting freedom with the modern Greek stage in an explosive directorial proposal.

On July 28 and 29, Efi Birba directs “Frogs” by Aristophanes, translated by Constantinos Blathra, trying to get to the core of the theatrical creation with the wonderful “Aristophanic expressionism” as a guide.

The distribution consists of Michalis Theofanous, Alexandra Kazazou, Hectoras Liatsos, Mary Mina, Nancy Boukli, Elektra Nikolouzou, Argyris Xafis, Kyriakos Salis, Michalis Sarantis and Aris Servetalis.

Giorgos Skevas directs “Oedipus at Colonus” by Sophocles (August 4 & 5) in a performance that brings to the fore the ambiguous pending end of a hero marked by fate. The translation is by Chrysas Prokopakis and Thanos Tsaknakis, while the troupe includes Alexandra Aidini, Dimitris Kataleifos, Maximos Moumouris, Angeliki Papathemeli and others.

Io Voulgaraki follows on August 11 and 12 with Euripides’ “Ekavi”. A multi-member troupe of important actors and musicians (Iosif Iosifidis, Marina Kalogirou, Eleni Kokkidou, Thanasis Kourlambas, Errikos Miliaris, Ileana Balla, Akis Sakellariou, Alekos Syssovitis) and the new translation by Eleni Varopoulos, made especially for the show, are the pillars of the project that attempts to open a bold dialectic with today.

The State Theater of Northern Greece descends on this year’s Epidauria with Euripides’ “Troades” (August 18 & 19).

The director Christos Sougaris, responsible for artistic programming of KTHBE, presents us with a subversive reading of Euripides’ work translated by Theodoros Stephanopoulos.

Starring: Maria Diakopanagiotou, Antonis Cafetzopoulos, Alexandros Bourdoumis, Roula Pateraki, Dimitris Piatas, Mariza Tsari and others.

The program at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus concludes with “Oedipus the Tyrant” by Sophocles (August 25 & 26) directed by Simos Kakalas and translated by George Blanas.

In this performance, seen as a ritual of purification, a group of masked elders form the dance of writhing, mourning and agony. Through this dance the tragic faces of Oedipus, Jocasta, Teiresias and Creon are revealed.

Starring: Giorgos Amoutzas, Simos Kakalas, Christos Malakis, Anna Masha, Konstantinos Moraitis, Yiannis Dalianis, Yiannis Stankoglou et al.

Creative employment of children in Epidaurus

The successful theater-pedagogical program continues this year (July 7 – August 26), bringing children close to the wonderful and mysterious universe of ancient myths.

While the adults watch the show at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus without distraction, the children are creatively busy approaching the content of the same work.

The program is coordinated by dramatist Elli Gavriel, in collaboration with a group of experienced theater educators and teachers of music, kinetic and aesthetic education. Every Friday and Saturday during the performances at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus. For children 5 – 12 years old.