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Epidaurus Festival
An
institution of unique charm
The Epidaurus Festival, which is in its 54rd year, is deeply
rooted in the collective Greek conscience. The Epidavria,
as the event was baptized (in an attempt to get rid of the
foreign word 'festival') by Emilios Hourmouzios, the man who
managed to turn into reality Dimitris Rondiris' dream, never
lost its charm, not even in its worst moments and it still
is a major cultural landmark of the Greek summer.
Please
see ticket information at the bottom of this page
Epidaurus Ancient Theater
Date
Time
Performance
Begin pre-sale
Tickets
July
03-07-09
21:00
Aristophanes, The Clouds by the Cyprus Theater Organization direced byVarnavas Kyrazis
Piano: Nikos Evangelou
Percussion: Jonathan Betito
Wind instruments: Eleonora Roussou
With Andreas Tsouris, Christodoulos Martas, Stavors Louras, Sotos Stavrakis, Thanassis Drakopoulos, Valentinos Kokkinos, Antonis Onoufriou, Annita Santorinaiou, Elena Efstathiou, Christoforos Christoforou, Michalis Moustakas, Giorgos Ioannidis, Lefteris Salomidis
Chorus: Stella Fyrogeni, Christina Christofia, Ermina Kyriazi, Katerina Loura, Mara Konstantinou, Niovi Charalambous, Loukia Protopappa, Elena Christofi, Vicky Georgiadou, Danai Christou, Christina Konstantinou, Polyxeni Savva, Anna Papageorgiou, Iliana Kakkoura
“Socrates, My little Socrates…”
Strepsiades, a farmer fallen into serious debt due to his son’s debaucheries, begs Socrates to teach him the art of rhetoric so that he can present unfairness as fairness, and escape once and for all from his creditors and judges.
The Clouds (423), a shining comedy focusing on the unjust and relentless satire against Socrates, present the philosopher as head of the sophists and teacher of rhetoric.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €
Aristophanes, The Clouds by the Cyprus Theater Organization direced byVarnavas Kyrazis
Piano: Nikos Evangelou
Percussion: Jonathan Betito
Wind instruments: Eleonora Roussou
With Andreas Tsouris, Christodoulos Martas, Stavors Louras, Sotos Stavrakis, Thanassis Drakopoulos, Valentinos Kokkinos, Antonis Onoufriou, Annita Santorinaiou, Elena Efstathiou, Christoforos Christoforou, Michalis Moustakas, Giorgos Ioannidis, Lefteris Salomidis
Chorus: Stella Fyrogeni, Christina Christofia, Ermina Kyriazi, Katerina Loura, Mara Konstantinou, Niovi Charalambous, Loukia Protopappa, Elena Christofi, Vicky Georgiadou, Danai Christou, Christina Konstantinou, Polyxeni Savva, Anna Papageorgiou, Iliana Kakkoura
“Socrates, My little Socrates…”
Strepsiades, a farmer fallen into serious debt due to his son’s debaucheries, begs Socrates to teach him the art of rhetoric so that he can present unfairness as fairness, and escape once and for all from his creditors and judges.
The Clouds (423), a shining comedy focusing on the unjust and relentless satire against Socrates, present the philosopher as head of the sophists and teacher of rhetoric.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €
Phedre (Jean Racine) bye the National Theater of Great Britain conducted by Nicholas Hytner in a version by Ted Hughes
Cast:
Hippolytus: Dominic Cooper
Theramene: John Shrapnel
Oenone: Margaret Tyzack
Phèdre:Helen Mirren
Panope : Wendy Morgan
Aricia: Ruth Negga
Ismene: Chipo Chung
Theseus: Stanley Townsend
Consumed by an uncontrollable passion for her young stepson and believing Theseus, her absent husband, to be dead, Phèdre confesses her darkest desires and enters the world of nightmare. When Theseus returns, alive and well, Phèdre, fearing exposure, accuses her stepson of rape. The result is carnage.
Look at me – see a woman in frenzy. I am in love.
Helen Mirren takes the title role in this savage play by Jean Racine, translated into muscular free verse by the late Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €
Phedre (Jean Racine) bye the National Theater of Great Britain conducted by Nicholas Hytner in a version by Ted Hughes
Cast:
Hippolytus: Dominic Cooper
Theramene: John Shrapnel
Oenone: Margaret Tyzack
Phèdre:Helen Mirren
Panope : Wendy Morgan
Aricia: Ruth Negga
Ismene: Chipo Chung
Theseus: Stanley Townsend
Consumed by an uncontrollable passion for her young stepson and believing Theseus, her absent husband, to be dead, Phèdre confesses her darkest desires and enters the world of nightmare. When Theseus returns, alive and well, Phèdre, fearing exposure, accuses her stepson of rape. The result is carnage.
Look at me – see a woman in frenzy. I am in love.
Helen Mirren takes the title role in this savage play by Jean Racine, translated into muscular free verse by the late Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €
Alcestis (Euripides)
With: Maria Skoula, Christos Loulis, Argyris Xafis, Maria Protopappa, Kostas Berikopoulos, Socrates Patsikas, Ioanna Pappa, Thanos Tokakis, Anna Kalaitzidou, Vaggelis Chatzinikolaou, Ileana Gaitani, Hlias Panagiotakopoulos, Christos Nikolaou, Elina Malama, Dafne David, Aggelos Triantafyllou, Lefteris Vassilakis, Vagelis Telonis, Ioanna Apostolou and four children
And: Nikos Spanos, counter tenor and Thanassis Deligianni, tenor
Who is Alcestis? A symbol of self-denial and wifely devotion; the Euripidean heroine who, having consented to die in her husband’s place, returns veiled from the grave at the end. Ambiguous, satirical and tragicomic, the oldest surviving play by the ‘philosopher of the stage’ continues to fuel a range of alternative interpretations.
Thomas Moschopoulos’ in his directorial debut at Epidaurus with Maria Skoula in the title role.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 45 € - zone B: 25 € - upper tier: 15 €.
Alcestis (Euripides)
With: Maria Skoula, Christos Loulis, Argyris Xafis, Maria Protopappa, Kostas Berikopoulos, Socrates Patsikas, Ioanna Pappa, Thanos Tokakis, Anna Kalaitzidou, Vaggelis Chatzinikolaou, Ileana Gaitani, Hlias Panagiotakopoulos, Christos Nikolaou, Elina Malama, Dafne David, Aggelos Triantafyllou, Lefteris Vassilakis, Vagelis Telonis, Ioanna Apostolou and four children
And: Nikos Spanos, counter tenor and Thanassis Deligianni, tenor
Who is Alcestis? A symbol of self-denial and wifely devotion; the Euripidean heroine who, having consented to die in her husband’s place, returns veiled from the grave at the end. Ambiguous, satirical and tragicomic, the oldest surviving play by the ‘philosopher of the stage’ continues to fuel a range of alternative interpretations.
Thomas Moschopoulos’ in his directorial debut at Epidaurus with Maria Skoula in the title role.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 45 € - zone B: 25 € - upper tier: 15 €.
The multitalented Israeli director Amos Gitai presents a spectacle at Epidaurus based on Titus Flavius Josephus’ The Jewish War (1st c. AD) which describes the Roman conquest of Judaea and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Named after the military manual and prophesy of apocalyptic conflict between Good and Evil found among the Dead Sea scrolls, the production combines theater with oratorio, song with dialogue in a multitude of tongues, an extravaganza of projected images with the power of the natural landscape. An artist of conscience who demands the right to free and critical thought, Gitai approaches his subject through the echo of the Middle East today. Featuring the grande dame of the stage, Jeanne Moreau.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €.
The multitalented Israeli director Amos Gitai presents a spectacle at Epidaurus based on Titus Flavius Josephus’ The Jewish War (1st c. AD) which describes the Roman conquest of Judaea and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Named after the military manual and prophesy of apocalyptic conflict between Good and Evil found among the Dead Sea scrolls, the production combines theater with oratorio, song with dialogue in a multitude of tongues, an extravaganza of projected images with the power of the natural landscape. An artist of conscience who demands the right to free and critical thought, Gitai approaches his subject through the echo of the Middle East today. Featuring the grande dame of the stage, Jeanne Moreau.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €.
“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 Theater of Greece has invited one of Germany’s leading men of the theater, the Bulgarian-born Dimiter Gotscheff, whose Ivanov Athens Festival audiences will remember from 2007, to direct The Persians with a hand-picked Greek cast.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 45 € - zone B: 25 € - upper tier: 15 €
“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 Theater of Greece has invited one of Germany’s leading men of the theater, the Bulgarian-born Dimiter Gotscheff, whose Ivanov Athens Festival audiences will remember from 2007, to direct The Persians with a hand-picked Greek cast.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 45 € - zone B: 25 € - upper tier: 15 €
The Trojan Women (Euripides) by the Theater of Northern Greece directed by Niketi Kontouri)
With:Lambrini Aggelidou, Ifigeneia Deligiannidi, Maria Derebe, Faidonas Kastris, Dimitris Makalias, Penelope Markopoulou, Ilias Meletis, Maria Nafpliotou, Leda Protopsalti and a 15-strong chorus.
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.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 45 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 25 €
The Trojan Women (Euripides) by the Theater of Northern Greece directed by Niketi Kontouri)
With:Lambrini Aggelidou, Ifigeneia Deligiannidi, Maria Derebe, Faidonas Kastris, Dimitris Makalias, Penelope Markopoulou, Ilias Meletis, Maria Nafpliotou, Leda Protopsalti and a 15-strong chorus.
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.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 45 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 25 €
“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 Chatzakis, together with a multigenerational group of genuine comic actors, promise to highlight in their performance the play’s relevance to the modern world.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €.
“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 Chatzakis, together with a multigenerational group of genuine comic actors, promise to highlight in their performance the play’s relevance to the modern world.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €.
The Winter's Tale (William Shakespeare) by The Bridge Project directed by Sam Mendes
Cast:
Sicilia
Leontes, King of Sicilia: Simon Russell Beale
Hermione, Queen to Leontes: Rebecca Hall
Mamillius, young Prince of Sicilia: Morven Christie
Camillo, Lord of Sicilia: Paul Jesson
Antigonus, Lord of Sicilia: Dakin Matthews
Paulina, wife to Antigonus: Sinéad Cusack
Cleomenes, Lord of Sicilia: Gary Powell
Dion, Lord of Sicilia: Michael Braun
Lord of Sicilia: Mark Nelson
Servant of Sicilia: Aaron Krohn
Jailer: Gary Powell
Emilia, a lady-in-waiting to Hermione: Hannah Stokely
Lady-in-Waiting to Hermione: Charlotte Parry
Gentlemen: Aaron Krohn, Mark Nelson, Gary Powell
Bohemia
Polixenes, King of Bohemia: Josh Hamilton
Florizel, Prince of Bohemia: Michael Braun
Perdita, daughter to Leontes and Hermione: Morven Christie
Old Shepherd, reputed father of Perdita: Richard Easton
Young Shepherd, his son: Tobias Segal
Autolycus, a rogue: Ethan Hawke
Time: Richard Easton
Mariner: Mark Nelson
Bear: Gary Powell
Mopsa, a shepherdess: Charlotte Parry
Dorcas, a shepherdess: Jessica Pollert Smith
Servant of Bohemia: Aaron Krohn
Shepherds and Shepherdess: Dakin Matthews, Mark Nelson, Gary Powell*, Hannah Stokely*
And the musicians: Dan Lipton, Dana Lyn
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 theater.
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.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €.
The Winter's Tale (William Shakespeare) by The Bridge Project directed by Sam Mendes
Cast:
Sicilia
Leontes, King of Sicilia: Simon Russell Beale
Hermione, Queen to Leontes: Rebecca Hall
Mamillius, young Prince of Sicilia: Morven Christie
Camillo, Lord of Sicilia: Paul Jesson
Antigonus, Lord of Sicilia: Dakin Matthews
Paulina, wife to Antigonus: Sinéad Cusack
Cleomenes, Lord of Sicilia: Gary Powell
Dion, Lord of Sicilia: Michael Braun
Lord of Sicilia: Mark Nelson
Servant of Sicilia: Aaron Krohn
Jailer: Gary Powell
Emilia, a lady-in-waiting to Hermione: Hannah Stokely
Lady-in-Waiting to Hermione: Charlotte Parry
Gentlemen: Aaron Krohn, Mark Nelson, Gary Powell
Bohemia
Polixenes, King of Bohemia: Josh Hamilton
Florizel, Prince of Bohemia: Michael Braun
Perdita, daughter to Leontes and Hermione: Morven Christie
Old Shepherd, reputed father of Perdita: Richard Easton
Young Shepherd, his son: Tobias Segal
Autolycus, a rogue: Ethan Hawke
Time: Richard Easton
Mariner: Mark Nelson
Bear: Gary Powell
Mopsa, a shepherdess: Charlotte Parry
Dorcas, a shepherdess: Jessica Pollert Smith
Servant of Bohemia: Aaron Krohn
Shepherds and Shepherdess: Dakin Matthews, Mark Nelson, Gary Powell*, Hannah Stokely*
And the musicians: Dan Lipton, Dana Lyn
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 theater.
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.
Tickets: prime circle: 50 € - zone A: 40 € - zone B: 30 € - upper tier: 20 €.
Fragments or simple lessons from an unknown mythology (Based on Euripides’ fragmentary plays) by the Minicipal and Regional Theater of Agrinion directed by Vassilis Nikolaidis
With: Lefteris Zampetakis, Anastasia Katsinavaki, Zaharoula Klimatsaki, Thanasis Kourlabas, Anna Koutsaftiki, Giannis Kranas, Vasiliki Kypraiou, Panagiotis Larkou, Alexandra Pantelaki, Maria Parasyri, Loukia Pistiola, Vangelis Psomas
The Municipal Regional Theater of Agrinio presents a performance based on extracts from Euripides’ lost plays. Hints “extremely charming in their mysterious but not clear cohesion” from the plays Hypsipyle, Cretans, Andromeda, Phaethon, Telephus, Oedipus, Bellerophon, Melanippe …
Director Vasilis Nikolaidis explains: “We will attempt a composition of these fragments based precisely on their disjointed nature, in order to highlight the concept of ‘lost plays’, of ‘lost bodies’. The music will create a canvas on which these disparate elements will be melded by way of music”.
Tickets: zone A: 30 € - zone B: 20 € - students: 10 €
Fragments or simple lessons from an unknown mythology (Based on Euripides’ fragmentary plays) by the Minicipal and Regional Theater of Agrinion directed by Vassilis Nikolaidis
With: Lefteris Zampetakis, Anastasia Katsinavaki, Zaharoula Klimatsaki, Thanasis Kourlabas, Anna Koutsaftiki, Giannis Kranas, Vasiliki Kypraiou, Panagiotis Larkou, Alexandra Pantelaki, Maria Parasyri, Loukia Pistiola, Vangelis Psomas
The Municipal Regional Theater of Agrinio presents a performance based on extracts from Euripides’ lost plays. Hints “extremely charming in their mysterious but not clear cohesion” from the plays Hypsipyle, Cretans, Andromeda, Phaethon, Telephus, Oedipus, Bellerophon, Melanippe …
Director Vasilis Nikolaidis explains: “We will attempt a composition of these fragments based precisely on their disjointed nature, in order to highlight the concept of ‘lost plays’, of ‘lost bodies’. The music will create a canvas on which these disparate elements will be melded by way of music”.
Tickets: zone A: 30 € - zone B: 20 € - students: 10 €
Michel Camilo, piano
Charles Flores, bass
Cliff Almond, drums
Mix virtuosity with boundless imagination, fan the result with the oxygen of Western art music and watch the Latin flame of Michel Camilo explode into a searing inferno. Two hands become four as the Dominican pianist switches between classical music and jazz at the speed of light and his dynamic solos light up with an effervescence unique to the Caribbean—the island nation where African and European traditions came together to produce something entirely new in the tropical melting pot of sun and sea.
Tickets: zone A: 30 € - zone B: 20 € - students: 10 €
Michel Camilo, piano
Charles Flores, bass
Cliff Almond, drums
Mix virtuosity with boundless imagination, fan the result with the oxygen of Western art music and watch the Latin flame of Michel Camilo explode into a searing inferno. Two hands become four as the Dominican pianist switches between classical music and jazz at the speed of light and his dynamic solos light up with an effervescence unique to the Caribbean—the island nation where African and European traditions came together to produce something entirely new in the tropical melting pot of sun and sea.
Tickets: zone A: 30 € - zone B: 20 € - students: 10 €
Stavros Lantsias: piano, keyboards, marimba
Giorgos Kaloudis: cello, cretan lyra
Mihalis Kapilidis: drums
With the vocal ensemble “En fonais”
An exceptional singer with a particular aura, Alkinoos Ioannidis will be joined in the Little Theater of Ancient Epidaurus by three outstanding musicians and a vocal ensemble; together, they will treat the audience to a unique musical experience. In the interlude since his last concert tour, Ioannidis travelled and absorbed the experiences that make Neroponti his most consummate recording to date. The concert programme will include milestones from his career to date as well as songs from his new solo album.
Tickets: zone A: 30 € - zone B: 20 € - students: 10 €
Stavros Lantsias: piano, keyboards, marimba
Giorgos Kaloudis: cello, cretan lyra
Mihalis Kapilidis: drums
With the vocal ensemble “En fonais”
An exceptional singer with a particular aura, Alkinoos Ioannidis will be joined in the Little theater of Ancient Epidaurus by three outstanding musicians and a vocal ensemble; together, they will treat the audience to a unique musical experience. In the interlude since his last concert tour, Ioannidis travelled and absorbed the experiences that make Neroponti his most consummate recording to date. The concert programme will include milestones from his career to date as well as songs from his new solo album.
Tickets: zone A: 30 € - zone B: 20 € - students: 10 €
A tribute to Yannis Ritsos: The monstrous masterpiece directed by Dimitris Mavrikios
Yannis Ritsos’ most autobiographical poem lends its title and subtitle (“The memoirs of a quiet person I never knew”) to a production which sets out to explore the trials and tribulations of his life. The poet opens the poem up to converse with his other works, with his heroes and with his “cloven, dual” self: the bard who sang of the people’s struggle, but the heretic mystic, too – the seer of metaphysical visions who dared experience, alone and at first hand, the extreme contradictions of his age. It is no coincidence that the poem begins: “Me, alone”.
Tickets: zone A: 30 € - zone B: 20 € - students: 10 €
A tribute to Yannis Ritsos: The monstrous masterpiece directed by Dimitris Mavrikios
Yannis Ritsos’ most autobiographical poem lends its title and subtitle (“The memoirs of a quiet person I never knew”) to a production which sets out to explore the trials and tribulations of his life. The poet opens the poem up to converse with his other works, with his heroes and with his “cloven, dual” self: the bard who sang of the people’s struggle, but the heretic mystic, too – the seer of metaphysical visions who dared experience, alone and at first hand, the extreme contradictions of his age. It is no coincidence that the poem begins: “Me, alone”.
Tickets: zone A: 30 € - zone B: 20 € - students: 10 €
There are three way you can book
you tickets for Festival events:
Online, using your credit or debit card
By telephone, using your credit or debit card
In person, at Festival Box Office
Advance booking begins three weeks prior to each event.
1. ONLINE BOOKING
Credit card bookings entail ticket
purchases and not ticket reservations.
Tickets can be purchased on-line until 2 pm on the day of the
performance.
Buying your tickets online allows you to select your seats,
according to price and availability. You may also buy season
tickets, where available. Tickets can be collected from Festival
Box Offices, or directly from event venues. A courier service
is also available (at a charge of 4€ per call out).
To book tickets online, click
on the online link next to the event . You will be guided step
by step through the process of selecting the event you require
and booking your tickets.
2. TELEPHONE BOOKINGS
Tickets can be purchased over
the telephone using a credit card.
A. Call Centre Sales
Personnel
Tickets can be purchased from call centre sales personnel until
2 pm on the day of the performance.
Telephone Booking Centre: +30 210 - 32 72 000
Opening Hours: Through a telephone operator: 09:00-21:00 daily
B. Using the Interactive
Voice Response (IVR):
Advance booking by IVR ends one day prior to the performance.
Telephone Booking Centre: +30 210 - 32 72 000
Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In both cases, tickets can be
collected from the Festival Box Offices or directly from the
event venues. A courier service is also available (at a charge
of € 4 per call out).
3. 'IN-PERSON' BOOKINGS: BOX
OFFICES
Addresses and Opening Hours:
Central Athens
39, Panepistimiou Street, inside the Pesmazoglou Arcade
Opening Hours: Monday - Friday: 08:30-16:00, Saturday 09:00-14:00
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Dionysiou Aeropagitou Street (pedestrianised) - Makriyianni
Opening Hours: 09:00-14:00 and 17:00-20:00 Daily
Ancient Epidaurus theater
Argolis Prefecture, Peloponnesus
Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday 09:00-14:00 and 17:00-20:00,
Friday - Saturday 09:30-21:30
Other Venues
Tickets may be purchased at
all Festival venues with ticket booths, opening two hours before
the start of performances.
Useful
information: 1.
It is not allowed:
•
To enter the theater after the beginning of the performance
except during the
intermission if there is one.
• To smoke and to consume food and drink in the theater.
• To take photographs with or without flash, to record
or video-record the performance.
• To wear shoes with pointed heels.
• To bring children younger than six to the theater.
• To tip the ushers.
• To return tickets.
2.
During the performance cellular phones must be turned off.
3. If a performance is cancelled, there will be an announcement
regarding the refund.
4. Ticket sales are computerized. Therefore there can be no
double bookings.
5. The program of the performances may change. Any changes
will be announced in time by the
press.
How to get to Epidaurus and back?
By
ship
Ships
leave from Piraeus (dock E1) every Friday and Saturday (on
performance days) at 17:15. Arrival at the port of Ancient
Epidaurus at 19:30. A shuttle will be available to and from
the theater and the port. When the performance is over, the
ship will depart for Piraeus. Dinner will be served on the
return journey.
Prices: € 60 (adults), € 35 (children aged 3-10)
Information
and Ticket Sales
Hellenic Festival Box Office
Tel. +30 210 32 72 000
Special
return trips for the performances in the Ancient Epidaurus
theater. Buses leave the Intercity bus station Terminal A
at
100, Kifissou street at 16:00 (duration: 2 hours) on Fridays
and Saturdays. Cost: € 20 per person.
For
more information you may call +30 210 5122 513, +30 210 5122
516 or +30 210 5134 588
Public Tourist Passenger Service (KTEL)
100, Kifissou Street
104 42 Athens
The Epidaurus Festival Museum
To
honour the Epidaurus Festival and its history, the Hellenic
Festival founded the Epidaurus Festival Museum in 2001. The
museum is open every year at the time of the ancient drama performances
and its purpose is twofold: to honour the great theater people
who have, for decades, dedicated themselves to the revival of
ancient drama but also to acquaint the public attending the
festival with their work.
The museum is a place of living theatrical memory. It hosts
important exhibits tracing the history of the “Epidauria”:
costumes, maquettes, masks, theatrical objects, photographic
and audiovisual material on display as “Memories of
Ancient Drama”. Every summer, the museum is enriched
with new exhibits allowing visitors to indulge in the history
of the
“Epidaurus Festival”.
The
theater of the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus
The
theater of the Asklepieion of Epidaurus is a perfect example
of the achievements and experience of the ancient Greeks on
theater construction. It was already praised in antiquity by
Pausanias for its symmetry and beauty.
It
has the typical Hellenistic structure with the three basic parts:
the cavea (public seating areas), the orchestra and the stage-building.
The longest radius of the cavea is 58 meter while the diameter
of the orchestra is about 20 meter. The lower of the two diazomata
(sections) is divided with 13 stairways into 12 cunei (with
34 rows of benches) and the upper with 23 stairways into 22
cunei (with 21 rows of benches).
The
stage-building included a main room with four pillars along
the central axis and one square room at each end. The proskenium
had a facade with 14 half-columns against pillars. Two ramps
on either side led to the stage while monumental double gates
stood at the two entrances.
The
theater was built in two stages. During the first, at the end
of the 4th century B.C., the orchestra, the lower diazoma and
the stage-building (in its pre-Hellenistic phase) were constructed.
During the second, at the middle of the 2nd century B.C., the
cavea was enlarged at the top, and the stage building was given
its late-Hellenistic shape. The theater was used for musical
and poetical contests and theatrical performances.
For
centuries the monument remained covered by thick layers of earth.
Systematic excavations started in 1881 under the direction of
P. Kavvadias. The cavea was brought to light quite well preserved
apart from the tiers at the edges and the retaining walls. On
the contrary, the stage was found in ruins levelled to the ground.
At the beginning of the 20th century the gate of the western
entrance and the contiguous retaining-wall were restored.
Large-scale works were undertaken from 1954 to 1963 for the
reconstruction of the destroyed sections and partial restoration
of the monument.