The Athens & Epidaurus Festival is great celebration that has lasted 56 summers, and that has hosted some of the leading lights of theatre, music and dance. From Mitropoulos and Callas to Rostropovich, Pavarotti, Leonidas Kavakos and Dimitris Sgouros. From Theodorakis and Hadjidakis to Savvopoulos, Protopsalti, Dalaras and Marinella. From Rondiris and Koun to Streller, Peter Hall, Noh theatre, Bunraku puppet theatre, and the Peking Opera. From Balanchine to Pina Bausch, and from Nureyev and Fonteyn to Martha Graham and Alicia Alonso. Above all, however, it is a venture with an eventful past often clouded by events in Greece’s recent history. A venture that, over the last two years, has taken on a youthful vitality, and openness.
This year will see the introduction of a pilot program of discussions (in the form of colloquia and parallel events), with interventions by artists from Greece and abroad who are taking part in the Festival, as well as theorists and cultural institutions. The discussion will cover a range of subjects:
A. What sort of Festival do we want? How Greek? How international? In a time of crisis, to what extent is the Festival about supporting domestic creativity? How far should its policies be geared towards this goal? How eclectic, bold and individual can it be? What can we take on board from the international conversation on what the term ‘festival’ can cover?
B. The art of direction in Greece and Europe today: trends and perspectives.
C. New forms of political theatre: How is the contemporary scene engaging with our present? New forms of drama, the dynamism and limits of documentary theatre.
D. How can we listen to and redefine the needs of today’s dance professionals? The nature of contemporary dance in Greece today, institutional and otherwise.
More information regarding the festival and its program can be found here.
