As part of the annual Athens and Epidaurus Festival, the ancient stage of Epidaurus comes alive with the works from great Greek playwrights such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes and more. It is a highlight of the festival to experience a midsummer production at this iconic venue.
The famous ancient theatre of Epidaurus was constructed in the late 4th century BC, around the time when Athens was flourishing in art, philosophy, science, and of course theatre, and can seat more than 12,000 spectators. It is regarded as the best-preserved theatre in Greece and famous for its exemplary acoustics.
A twilight performance by the National Theatre of Greece during the Epidaurus Festival. Photograph: Thomas Daskalakis/NTG
GETTING TO ANCIENT EPIDAURUS
Epidaurus theatre is located within the archaeological site of the sanctuary of Asklepios in Palea Epidaurus, in the region of Argolis and is a two hour drive from Athens. Why Athens offers private taxi’s, mini-vans and mini-bus transfers to and from the site on the evenings when performances are showing. You can find out more information about ways to get to ancient Epidaurus here.
CHILDREN AT EPIDAURUS ON THEATRE NIGHTS
It should be noted that children under the age of five are not permitted into the ancient theatre on performance evenings. However for families with children aged 5 to 12, parents have the option of purchasing a ticket for them to see the performance or to have their children take part in a creative workshop at the theatre for the duration of the performance.
The themes of the theatre, movement, music and art workshops will be inspired by the day’s theatre performance and will be divided in categories shaped according to children’s age. The program is coordinated by dramatist Elli Gavriel, in collaboration with a group of experienced theatre educators and teachers of music, kinetic and aesthetic education. Started in 2016, the workshop is primarily conducted in Greek, however the activities the children undertake are suitable for any language and background. The children’s workshop starts at 8:30pm in a building next to the theatre.
ANCIENT EPIDAURUS THEATRE 2023 PROGRAMME
The theatre works listed are performed in Greek with English subtitles
The intimate open air stage of ancient Epidaurus during a performance. Photograph: Thomas Daskalakis/National Theatre of Greece
JULY 2023 PERFORMANCES AT ANCIENT EPIDAURUS
HIPPOLYTUS by Euripides (THEATRE) – National Theatre of Greece
7 & 8 July 2023 – 9:00pm
Distinguished director and Artistic Director of the Festival, Katerina Evagelatos, returns to Epidaurus with the National Theatre of Greece.
In Hippolytus, Aphrodite sets up a game of revenge and watches with a voyeuristic eye as the human species becomes the gateway to her desires. Her eye becomes our eye and the faces are stripped bare. Naked bodies convey the explosion, the lust but also the purity of the human race. A direction that dives into the wild universe of Euripides’ play, seeing it as a modern nightmare in a poetic setting, where characters struggle with their weaknesses and love is so insane that it can only be fatal. A strong troupe of 24 actors and four musicians will be constantly on stage.
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WASPS by Aristophanes (THEATRE) – National Theatre of Greece
14 & 15 July 2023 – 9:00pm
The heretic Lena Kitsopoulou puts on an adaptation of Aristophanes’ scathing comedy, in her directorial debut at Epidaurus. In Wasps, the poet imaginatively satirizes the Athenians’ mania for settling their disputes in court, but also, the cracks in the judicial system that allowed shrewd people to manipulate justice to their advantage. Sixty years after the performance of Alexis Solomos, the National Theatre invites the subversive creator to turn her gaze to the critical questions posed by this Aristophanes play, mocking modern pathologies in her own special way.
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MEDEA by Euripides (THEATRE)
21 & 22 July 2023 – 9:00pm
Following the previous year’s commissions of ancient works by leading European directors, this year the Festival invites German theatre director Frank Castorf to Epidaurus for the first time to direct Euripides’ Medea. The innovative director, will use improvisation and his highly imaginative theatrical language to create a modern Greek adaptation of this ancient tragedy.
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FROGS by Aristophanes (THEATRE)
28 & 29 July 2023 – 9:00pm
Aristophanes attempts a phantasmagorical descent to the underworld. Much like Odysseus, he seeks a path to his utopian Ithaca. One can only fulfil one’s life by discovering the true meaning of death. The polis must come to terms with its own lack of order to gain a more substantial presence. Directed by Effie Birba.
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The ancient theatre of Epidaurus during a performance. Photograph: Thomas Daskalakis/NTG
AUGUST 2023 PERFORMANCES AT ANCIENT EPIDAURUS
OEDIPUS AT COLONUS by Sophocles (THEATRE)
4 & 5 August 2023 – 9:00pm
As Sophocles’ final tragedy, this play is at once a meditation on human fate and a tribute to his favourite city, Athens. A tragedy about physical and metaphysical borders, about the mystery of human freedom in the face of gods’ omnipotence, about responsibility, about old age and about the political rule of the polis. Oedipus at Colonus is an intimate poem and a spiritual journey. Directed by Giorgos Skevas.
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HECUBA by Euripides (THEATRE)
11 & 12 August 2023 – 9:00pm
Hecuba is a tragedy by Euripides, written c. 424 BC. It takes place after the Trojan War but before the Greeks have departed Troy. The central figure is Hecuba, wife of King Priam, formerly queen of the now-fallen city.
In the first part of the play, mourning, personal as well as collective, seems to give birth to its metaphysics: the living and the dead are in constant conversation, a buried boy disturbs the sleep of his mother, a girl stands on the border between life and death. In Hecuba, everything happens in a liminal time, after the end of the war. But the violence is not over. And precisely there, in the time of transition, the Hecuba of mourning becomes the Hecuba of revenge, opening a bold dialectic with today. Directed by Io Voulgaraki.
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TROJANS by Euripides (THEATRE) – State Theatre of Northern Greece
18 & 19 August 2023 – 9:00pm
The Trojans, the only surviving tragedy of the Euripides trilogy about the Trojan War, was taught in 415 BC in the ancient festival ‘ta megala Dionysia’ in Athens. The work was written shortly after the destruction of Milos in 416 BC, when the Athenians, with inhuman violence, killed all the adult males of Milos and sold the women and children as slaves. Euripides attempts to warn of the consequences of the indecency of the victors and to remind of the importance of remaining human, away from the illusion of omnipotence caused by ephemeral victories. Directed by Christos Sougaris.
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OEDIPUS TYRANNUS by Sophocles (THEATRE)
25 & 26 August 2023 – 9:00pm
Never before in the history of mankind have we seen so far into the universe and so deep into man. Too often on the brink of disaster, we find that the evil we are fighting is ourselves. The face of Oedipus is humanity itself in the mirror. Having found the culprit, he is at the point where he must make a choice at least at the last moment, even though he has already made the biggest mistake. In this performance, seen as a purification ritual, 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. Directed by Simos Kakalas.
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See the full Athens and Epidaurus Festival programme here.
Disclaimer: We make every attempt to ensure information about events are accurate and obtained from reliable sources. Why Athens is neither the producer nor ticketing agent of any performances listed and is therefore not responsible for the outcomes of performances including if they appear contrary to how the production has been originally promoted or represented. See our editorial policy for further information.
