Athens & Epidaurus Festival returns with over 80 productions

The Athens & Epidaurus Festival announced a multifaceted, bold and very interesting program for this year's event, which will take place in front of audiences from June 1.

"This is the second year that we operate under emergency conditions. This is the second year that we are making multiple rescue plans for our events. And, of course, the second year that we are forced to announce our plans online," said artistic director Katerina Evangelatou.

Over 80 productions are scheduled to run for four months, until October 10.

In particular, Evangelatou stressed that, due to the huge blow that the cultural and arts  community has suffered due to the pandemic, "this year the program emphasises the 'Greek creation'. At the same time, about a thousand more artists and other contributors from leading institutions in Europe and America have been invited to the Athens and Epidaurus Festival and are working on new creations and co-productions."

Of the 80+ productions that will be hosted in Epidaurus, little Epidaurus, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and Piraeus 260, 50+ are Greek.

The program also includes performances scheduled in 2020, but were suspended due to the coronavirus restrictions.

• Piraeus 260 will host the bulk of the program with an artistic panorama that includes theatre, dance, music, opera and visual arts.
• The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus will once again be the historical centre of ancient drama. Ten productions will be performed over three days a week (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays) from June to August. In addition, German theater director Thomas Ostermeier and the Schaubühne will present a version of 'Oedipus Rex' by Maja Zade.
• The small Theatre of Epidaurus, which will operate for two months this year, will host, among other things, four modern versions of an ancient tragedy for the 'Contemporary Ancients' cycle.
• The Athens Festival's main venue, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, will host the National Opera, the Athens State Orchestra and a number of distinguished international musicians including Brian Eno with his brother Roger Eno, pianist Zubin Mehta with the Maggio Musicale Orchestra of Florence, violinist Pinchas Zuckerman and the Monteverdi Choir accompanied by the English Baroque Soloists, in a performance conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

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