AEF2023: Thyestes

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.

Thyestes, Seneca's fabula crepidata (aka Latin tragedy with Greek topic) is performed in Greece for the very first time. The nightmarish plot goes as follows: Thyestes unintentionally eats his own children, who were slaughtered and offered at a feast by his brother Atreus. Thanos Papakonstantinou, known for his unsettling and provocative approach, directs an oratorio of horror in which the world is a dreadful place, people are monsters, and everything dystopian is accentuated. The audiovisual structural elements of this nightmare include original electronic music and sound design.