Trojan Women coming to ancient Curium

The month of theatre is here. Not just because the summer season brings plenty of performances but because the 2023 International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama is on. Held in July and August, local and Greek productions present contemporary approaches to ancient tragedies. The second production to be held as part of the festival is the Euripidean tragedy The Trojan Women.

On July 14 and 15, the National Theatre of Northern Greece will present this iconic ancient Greek play against the backdrop of the ancient theatre of Curium. A superb cast of actors with Roula Pateraki in the role of Hecuba and musical compositions by Stefanos Korkolis make up this adaptation. As a recipient of the 2018 Young Theatre Artist award by the Union of Greek Critics for Drama and Music, director Christos Sougaris, head of the theatre company’s artistic programming, will present a novel take on Euripides’ masterpiece.

As they await to be transported to Greece, the captive women of Troy mourn the fall of their city. Among them, waiting for her fate to be announced, Hecuba is confronted by a series of devastating events: Polyxena is sacrificed at Achilles’ tomb and Andromache learns that the Greeks have condemned her baby son, Astyanax, to death. At the same time, Kassandra foretells the disasters that will befall the Greeks on their way home.

“Euripides attempts to warn us about the consequences of the victors’ impunity and to remind us of the importance of remaining human, away from the illusion of omnipotence caused by fleeting victories,” organisers say. “In The Trojan Women, the poet brings out the human dimension of the enemy and, focusing on the greatness of the women of Troy, highlights the strength that makes humans persevere even in the wake of catastrophe.”

The Trojan Women

Euripides’ tragedy presented by the National Theatre of Northern Greece. Part of the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama. July 14 and 15. Ancient Theatre of Curium, Limassol. 9pm. With surtitles in English. €8. Tel: 7000-2414. www.greekdramafest.com