AEF2026: Heiner Goebbels - Michael Simon: Schliemann III

This summer, Athens Epidaurus Festival's main city venue, the former industrial complex in Pireos 260,  celebrates 20 years as one of the city’s most vital cultural meeting points. Under the artistic direction of Michail Marmarinos, this year’s landmark programme unfolds across two months of theatre, dance, music, performance, and multidisciplinary works, bringing together more than 50 events by acclaimed international artists alongside some of the most exciting voices from Greece’s contemporary scene. Pireos 260 will live through the Athenian summer as a dynamic space where emerging creators, established names, and curious audiences come together to explore what contemporary performance can be today. New collaborations, technology-driven works, and immersive experiences sit alongside bold theatrical productions, live music, and cutting-edge choreography.

Amongst these boundary-pushing productions, the festival’s opening event features Heiner Goebbels and Michael Simon’s groundbreaking Schliemann III. This striking production creates an immersive space designed to challenge our very perception of history. Taking its cues from Heinrich Schliemann’s original 1871-1873 excavation diaries, and the nine distinct layers of ancient Troy, the performance features a mix of actors, musicians, and vocalists interacting with a rich tapestry of text and sound. Expect everything from pseudo-archaic recitations and fragments of the Iliad to Berlioz's opera The Trojans, all layered with electronic samples and local folk music. The result is a series of distinct theatrical "excavations" that explore how historical layers cross paths, beautifully tailored to navigate the raw, industrial architecture of Hall D.