AEF2023: Hippolytus

It’s that time of the year again, when Athenians start planning their summer holidays around the programme of the Athens Epidaurus Festival. The leading performing arts festival in Greece, and one of the oldest in Europe, returns between June 1st and August 26th for its 68th edition with a rich programme of events. As always, the main venues are the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the industrial complex of Pireos 260 and the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. Click here for our festival picks or head over to the official website for the full programme.

Katerina Evangelatos, Artistic Director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, takes upon her this year’s premiere at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus with Euripides’ Hippolytus. Huntsman Hippolytus, son of Theseus, is appalled by sex and marriage and offers his devotion to the virgin goddess Artemis. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is offended by his neglect and enchants Phaedra, his mother, to fall in love with him. When he rejects her, she takes her own life blaming him. That’s some classic Gods-toying-with-human-lives Greek tragedy right there. A cast of 24 actors and four musicians take the stage in this production of the National Theatre of Greece.