International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama begins on July 6

Marking 25 years since the first event in 1997, the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama raises its curtain this year on July 6 to offer theatre lovers a month of performances and moments of emotion.

This year’s festival will kick off with Sophocles’ iconic Oedipus The King from Bosnia and Herzegovina, co-produced by the Sarajevo National Theatre and the MESS International Theatre Festival. With an elite troupe of actors and starring the rising star of cinema Dino Bajrović, the distinguished Slovenian director Diego de Brea emphasises, through his directorial approach, the coldness, the hardships, the barbarity and the evil that comes from people.

Oedipus, the cursed king of Thebes, the son and murderer of Laius, the son of Jocasta and father of her children, in his attempt to unravel the tangle of events reaches the centre of the labyrinth, where the persecutor and the persecuted are the same. This tragedy by Sophocles focuses on the individual in relation to their personal freedom, power, society and divine will.

This opening performance for the festival will take place at Paphos Ancient Odeon on July 6 at 9pm and will include subtitles in Greek and English. Two days later, the drama will travel to Nicosia for a performance at the Makarios III Amphitheatre before the Spanish theatre group participating in the festival presents a production based on two homonymous tragedies by Sophocles and Euripides.

Oedipus the King

Opening theatre production of the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama. By the Sarajevo National Theatre and the MESS International Theatre Festival. July 6. Paphos Ancient Odeon, Paphos. July 8. Makarios III Amphitheatre, Nicosia. 9pm. With subtitles in Greek and English. €12. Tel: 7000-2414. www.greekdramafest.com