Sixty years after its first presentation at Epidaurus, Aeschylus’ iconic tragedy was staged again, in a performance that highlights the deep roots of patriarchy and how they have defined the position of women in society from ancient times to the present day. The performance, directed by Marianna Calbari and performed by a distinguished cast including Lydia Koniordou, Akis Sakellariou, Giannis Tsortekis, Lena Papaligoura, and Loukia Michalopoulou, premiered in Delphi and is beginning its nationwide tour, which will culminate at the ancient theatre of Epidaurus.
This summer, you will find all types of comedy on the open-air theatre stages of Attica and beyond. From Aristophanic comedies making a stop at Epidaurus, Molière, revues, and great works from the global repertoire to hilarious murder mysteries and works with a Greek signature.
Placebo are coming on Thursday, August 1, to the Lycabettus Municipal Theatre. In the sweltering Athenian summer, the older attendees will reminisce about their wild nights, while the younger ones will experience what it’s like to dance under the stars as if there’s no tomorrow.
Aris Biniaris tackles ancient comedy for the first time and presents Aristophanes’ “The Birds” on a major summer tour (with a stop at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus on Friday, August 9, and Saturday, August 10).
This summer, three factors converge to promise a captivating artistic experience: the stamp of the National Theatre, the directorial vision of Thanos Papakonstantinou, and the aura of the Ancient Epidaurus theatre. There, theatre enthusiasts will gather on Friday, August 2, and Saturday, August 3, to watch the new production of the Athens Epidaurus Festival.
Rebels, soldiers, dictators, symbols of revolution, dynamic women, talented creators, intriguing works, significant artifacts, and unknown chapters of history create a multi-layered narrative in “Democracy,” the new exhibition at the National Gallery, which opens on Thursday, July 11. The ambitious project, curated by the director of the National Gallery, Syrago Tsiara, indirectly turns its gaze to current events, building an impressive presentation of an important chapter in European history.
We have prepared a list of the most beautiful exhibitions you can see in museums and cooler spots in Athens. “Fulfillment” at the Esplanade of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center attempts to revive the vision of the great sculptor Alex Mylona and, in contemporary terms, to develop the sculptural and architectural proposals that the artist conceived in the ’70s. The emblematic photographer and philhellene Robert McCabe, with the photographic project “Hail Stranger – In the Land of Dreams” set up inside the Acropolis Museum, curated by Phaedon Papamichail, attempts to highlight a different aspect of Greece. The Goulandris Foundation is also presenting photographic tributes this period, paying homage to the artist couple Henri Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck. Franck’s work is hosted at the foundation’s branch in Andros, while in Athens we have the opportunity to see two exhibitions about Cartier-Bresson: “The Decisive Moment” and “Greece.” Attractive works frame the exhibition “Shinrin-yoku – Swimming in the Forest.” This is a new visual project by PCAI at the Diomedes Botanical Garden. The dark room at the Museum of Greek Culture hosts twelve costumes worn by the cast of “Poor Things.” It is the first purely museum exhibition to take place after the successful premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos’ film in cinemas. This year Athens has double the reason to celebrate, as it marks 50 years since the restoration of democracy and 80 years since the liberation of the Greek capital from Nazi occupation. On the occasion of the double anniversary, the Municipality of Athens is organizing the tribute “1974 & 1944: Athens Celebrates its Freedom” until November, centered on the exhibition of the same name at the Arts Center.
On the main stage of the Comédie Française, the seven actors and the rest of the crew of the play “Hecuba, Not Hecuba” are feverishly preparing for the performance that, after its premiere at the Avignon Festival, will be presented at the ancient theater of Epidaurus (July 26-27). A few years after the triumphant descent of France’s longest-running theater to the Argolic orchestra with the fusion of two Euripidean tragedies (“Electra/Orestes,” directed by Ivo van Hove, in 2019), they are preparing for another major challenge, this time directed by Tiago Rodrigues. The Portuguese director and new Artistic Director of the Avignon Festival has already piqued our interest in Greece, with the most recent example being the provocative “Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists,” which we saw last winter at the Onassis Foundation’s Stegi.
The new temporary exhibition presented at the Stathatos Mansion of the Museum of Cycladic Art, titled “Cindy Sherman at Cycladic: Early Works,” opens on May 30 and turns our attention to an important American photographer.
Although the museum is renowned for its precious collections that narrate a part of the history of Cycladic civilization, it does not limit its activities to these. Instead, it ensures to bring contemporary creation into focus, promoting a fruitful dialogue between works and eras. Thus, in 2007, it launched the Contemporary Art Program aimed at engaging with, highlighting, and promoting contemporary art to the public.
For about a year now, we have been observing the National Museum of Contemporary Art gradually revealing a more feminist face, presenting one of its largest projects, the tribute “What if women ruled the world?”. On the evening of June 13th (8 p.m.), the fourth and final part of this ambitious exhibition cycle will be inaugurated, with the museum filling with seven new projects, featuring the works of Tala Madani, Eva Stefani, Bertille Bak, Phyllida Barlow, Bouchra Khalili, Susan Meiselas, and Eleni Pitari-Pagalou.
