The acclaimed Greek director Dimitris Karantzas will face Aeschylus’ “Persians” this year. A long-awaited premiere of the oldest surviving tragedy, which will take place on July 15 and 16 at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus.
Staffed by a number of exceptional actors (Christos Loulis, George Gallos, Michalis Oikonomou, Alexia Kaltsiki, Theodora Tzimou, Giannis Klinis, Aeneas Tsamatis, Elias Moulas, Manos Petrakis, Tassos Karachalios, Vassilis Panagios, Vassilis Panagio) Dimitris Karantzas’ play raises critical questions about what constitutes “society”, what does the persistent attachment to power and the need for faith in a guide, man or god, mean in a shattered world?
«The axis through which I read the work “, notes D. Karantzas, “Is the course of a people that from absolute faith, passes to the question and then to the conflict, until it reaches a manic, spasmodic reaction. Neither blind faith works, nor blind reaction. As if you see the impossibility of the social contract».
The concave and the orchestra unite to “participate” in a joint discussion about the defeat, the difficulty of its acceptance and the embarrassment of the sequel, with the participation of volunteers who gradually enter the space, composing a “society” that seeks its thread existence after the catastrophe, as a reflection of the present historical conjuncture.
«The Persians are any society: It is like taking an x-ray of the defeated side and a society that does not know how it can go on after a catastrophe. And Epidaurus functions as a public step. Like in a square that is probably very close to us or in some other country, people talk about how they will resist and how they will be held when they have lost all their points of reference. The Persians lose faith in the king, then in the concept of monarchy, then in god and finally in their own ability to react.».
At the same time, the Atossa of Persia, whom she plays Reni Pittaki, who returns to Epidaurus after 20 years, is “the cold gentle voice of power” that in every way wants to be maintained and continued in a society almost decimated. “Two completely different views of what people mean,” says Karantzas.
A few words about the project:
Written in 472 BC, the tragedy of Aeschylus is perhaps the oldest recording of events in Greek history in the theater. In Susa, the Persian capital, the citizens who have been left behind and their queen, Atossa, who is tormented by bad omens, are expecting news from Xerxes’s military operation in Greece. A messenger announces the horrific outcome of the Battle of Salamis: the Persian army and its elite leaders have been crushed. Atossa and Choros summon the ghost of Darius to guide them. The glorious king condemns the insult of Xerxes, who wanted to tame nature and divine will and predicts even more disasters. With the arrival of Xerxes, the crash peaks. The scales are now tilting decisively towards the terror of the end.
The work runs through endless lists of names: those who first lit the way for hope, victory and solidarity, now fall one by one, lost in the darkness of a ruined place, a people on the verge of horror, reason and obedience.
The “Persians” as a tragedy of humanity, as a micro-system that reflects issues of existence and coexistence, unresolved over the centuries, become, under the direction of Karantzas, a common place for a conversation that indirectly illuminates the multiple global impasses of today. The theater is the public space, the Church of the Municipality, the City. The Persian Dance, the “society”, begins with faith and obedience, ending, after the annihilation, an anarchic crowd without a guide and reference point.
The translation is signed by Panagiotis Moullas, the sets are edited by Klio Boboti, the costumes by Ioanna Tsami, the movement by Tassos Karachalios, the musical composition – live performance by George Poulios, the vocal preparation – composition by Henri Kergomar and the lighting by Dimitris Kasimatis. Starring Reni Pittaki, Christos Loulis, George Gallos, Michalis Oikonomou, Giannis Klinis, Alexia Kaltsiki, Theodora Tzimou, Aeneas Tsamatis, Elias Moulas, Manos Petrakis, Tassos Karachalios, Vassilis Panagiotopoulos and George Pouliou. With the participation of 40 volunteers.
Online ticket pre-sale has started. Ticket prices: from 5 to 70 euros.
Ticket information: http://aefestival.gr/plirofories-eisitirion/. Buy tickets: aefestival.gr, viva.gr & public.gr.
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