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Ancient Greek drama festival continues with Electra.25

ΗΛΕΚΤΡΑ 5

A month full of extraordinary theatre productions is here as the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama brings five performances to the island. Until August 6, theatre companies from abroad will present their contemporary and artistic approach to ancient Greek drama. Up next, is the Atalaya Theatre of Spain with two performances of Electra.25 on July Saturday and Monday.

The Spanish participation in the festival is based on the two homonymous tragedies by Sophocles and Euripides. Electra.25 reconstructs the everlasting circle of violence, that of death-revenge-death, in the House of Atreus and dramatises one of the darkest parts of the myth: vengeance against Clytemnestra and Aegisthus for the murder of Agamemnon.

“Electra,” say the organisers, “keeps the memory of her father’s killing alive and implores the gods to help her punish his killers. The return of her exiled brother, Orestes, rekindles her desire for vengeance and sets in motion the act of punishment that culminates in matricide. This act of revenge became and continues to this day to be the source of multiple conflicts throughout the history of Mankind.

Electra.25 creates a bridge between Electra of the ancient Greek tragedians and the contemporary dramatists that adapted it to the 20th century: Hofmannsthal and Sartre. Ricardo Iniesta approaches and stages the myth in an innovative manner by reinforcing the Chorus in its various forms and using traditional music to underline the human and universal dimensions of the characters.”

The 70-minute long theatrical performance will first take place at the Paphos Ancient Odeon on Saturday, followed by a show at Nicosia’s Makarios III Amphitheatre, two days later. Suitable for audiences above 13 years old, the performance will include overtitles in Greek and in English, to bring this hybrid story of Electra to life.

 

Electra.25

By the Atalaya Theatre of Spain. Part of the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama. July 16. Paphos Ancient Odeon, Paphos. July 18. Makarios III Amphitheatre, Nicosia. 9pm. www.soldoutticketbox.com. Tel: 7000-2414

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