August 1: Aeschylus, The Persians National Theatre of Greece. “Alas! In truth a vast sea of troubles has burst upon the Persians ”… Eight years after the battle of Salamis (480 BC), Aeschylus (a soldier as well as a poet) brings to life the destruction of the Persian armada – the hubris of powerful men and its consequences – and lauds democratic Athens through mourning its fallen heroes. The National Theatre of Greece has invited one of Germany’s leading men of the theatre – the Bulgarian-born Dimiter Gotscheff, whose Ivanov Athens Festival audiences will remember from 2007 – to direct The Persians with a hand-picked Greek cast.
August 7,8: Euripides, The Trojan Women, National Theatre of Northern Greece. Trojan Women, the tragedy of the defeated, presents on stage the life of the captive Trojan women after the fall of Troy, before they are taken as slaves by the Greeks. Among them, former mighty Queen Hecuba, tragic seeress Cassandra and tender Andromache have to watch powerless as their men are sacrificed one by one, victims of the inhuman demands of the Greeks. This performance of Euripides’ ever-relevant anti-war play – first performed in 415 BC during the Peloponnesian War – marks Leda Protopsalti’s debut in Epidaurus.
August 14,15: Aristophanes, The Birds Directed by: Sotiris Hadzakis. “Health and wealth, long life, peace, youth, laughter, songs and feasts” and everything you’ve ever wished for: that’s what Aristophanes’ famous Birds promise about their utopian Cloud-cuckoo-land. In the year 414 BC, two Athenians, Pisthetaerus and Euelpides, flee warlike Athens and its socio-political afflictions, seeking the perfect city in the sky. Sotiris Hadzakis, together with a multigenerational group of genuine comic actors, promise to highlight in their performance the play’s relevance to the modern world.
August 21,22: William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale The Bridge Project - Sam Mendes. The Epidaurus Festival is playing host to the transatlantic Bridge Project, which brings some of the finest talents from the New York and London stage to our ancient theatre.
Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, the driving force behind this unprecedented partnership, presents Shakespeare’s rich tragicomedy The Winter’s Tale: a magical testament to the follies of hasty judgement and the force of love as a means of redemption.
Epidaurus transport
Do not miss the opportunity to watch a performance in the ancient theatre of Epidaurus (if you manage to get your hands on a ticket that is). It is a magic experience worth every minute of the journey to get there. Special buses depart Athens from the intercity bus (KTEL) central station (Kifisou 100) at 17:00 on the days of the performances, returning immediately after. Return tickets cost €20 and the journey takes about 2 hours each way.
Tickets
Tickets for all performances: €50 (Prime Circle), €45(A’), €30 (B), €20 (Upper Tier), concessions available Box Office: Panepistimiou 39, F4
Mon-Fri 08:30-16:00, Sat 09:00 - 14:30
Odeon of Herodes Atticus, D7
Daily 09:00-14:00 & 18:00-21:00
Credit card bookings & info: 210 3272000
Daily 09:00-21:00
Internet bookings: www.greekfestival.gr
August 7,8: Euripides, The Trojan Women, National Theatre of Northern Greece. Trojan Women, the tragedy of the defeated, presents on stage the life of the captive Trojan women after the fall of Troy, before they are taken as slaves by the Greeks. Among them, former mighty Queen Hecuba, tragic seeress Cassandra and tender Andromache have to watch powerless as their men are sacrificed one by one, victims of the inhuman demands of the Greeks. This performance of Euripides’ ever-relevant anti-war play – first performed in 415 BC during the Peloponnesian War – marks Leda Protopsalti’s debut in Epidaurus.
August 14,15: Aristophanes, The Birds Directed by: Sotiris Hadzakis. “Health and wealth, long life, peace, youth, laughter, songs and feasts” and everything you’ve ever wished for: that’s what Aristophanes’ famous Birds promise about their utopian Cloud-cuckoo-land. In the year 414 BC, two Athenians, Pisthetaerus and Euelpides, flee warlike Athens and its socio-political afflictions, seeking the perfect city in the sky. Sotiris Hadzakis, together with a multigenerational group of genuine comic actors, promise to highlight in their performance the play’s relevance to the modern world.
August 21,22: William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale The Bridge Project - Sam Mendes. The Epidaurus Festival is playing host to the transatlantic Bridge Project, which brings some of the finest talents from the New York and London stage to our ancient theatre.
Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, the driving force behind this unprecedented partnership, presents Shakespeare’s rich tragicomedy The Winter’s Tale: a magical testament to the follies of hasty judgement and the force of love as a means of redemption.
Epidaurus transport
Do not miss the opportunity to watch a performance in the ancient theatre of Epidaurus (if you manage to get your hands on a ticket that is). It is a magic experience worth every minute of the journey to get there. Special buses depart Athens from the intercity bus (KTEL) central station (Kifisou 100) at 17:00 on the days of the performances, returning immediately after. Return tickets cost €20 and the journey takes about 2 hours each way.
Tickets
Tickets for all performances: €50 (Prime Circle), €45(A’), €30 (B), €20 (Upper Tier), concessions available Box Office: Panepistimiou 39, F4
Mon-Fri 08:30-16:00, Sat 09:00 - 14:30
Odeon of Herodes Atticus, D7
Daily 09:00-14:00 & 18:00-21:00
Credit card bookings & info: 210 3272000
Daily 09:00-21:00
Internet bookings: www.greekfestival.gr
