AEF2023: Phaedra Film Screening at the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus

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.

This year Epidaurus Festival (Epidaurus Festival, as opposed to the full name Athens Epidaurus Festival, is the name used for the lineup of events that takes place at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus) will come full circle as it opens and closes with Hippolytus. Epidaurus premieres with a production of Euripides’ Hippolytus, and the curtain falls with a film screening of Phaedra, one of Jules Dassin’s best-known and most beloved films starring the late and great Melina Mercouri in the title role. What does Phaedra have to do with Hippolytus, you might wonder? Why, it’s a cinematic adaptation of the ancient tragic play, of course. This very rare event of a film screening taking place at the ancient theatre launches a collaboration between the Hellenic Film Academy and AEF, so we suppose we can expect more cinematic picks included in the festival’s future editions.