The National Theatre of Greece (NTG) is holding its International Ancient Drama Workshop for a sixth consecutive year. This summer’s Workshop will take place in Lygourio from 11 to 25 July 2023, inaugurating a partnership between the NTG and the Municipality of Epidaurus.
This year, the workshop will be directed by the actress Aglaia Pappa, with the collaboration of the Italian actress and trainer at the Ronconi School of the Piccolo Teatro, Diana Manea.
The workshop is aimed at students of drama schools as well as young theatre professionals, including actors, directors, choreographers and stage practitioners in general who want to focus on and deepen their study of ancient drama. It offers specialised knowledge while at the same time opening up a dialogue about contemporary insights into and ways of staging ancient drama.
The workshop was established on an annual basis in 2016 and is run under the auspices and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sport. It is part of the ministry’s Ancient Drama Network.
Power and corruption
The starting point for this year’s workshop is Euripides’ tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis. Written in 407 BC, while the poet was a guest at the court of King Archelaus I of Macedon, the tragedy is one of his later works. Shortly before the end of the disastrous (for Athens) Peloponnesian War (431 BC-404 BC), Euripides grapples with the poetic narration of a mythic war, investigating the results of choices made by corrupt political and religious leaders who are incapable of meeting the challenge before them.
In a world that has been rocked to its foundations, a world that is on the verge of collapse, only a young person who has not yet been corrupted by the games of power can find a solution. And that solution acquires a special symbolism when the person chosen is a young woman.
Taking tragedy and the concept of sacrifice as its central pilar, the workshop begins with some fundamental questions about ancient drama.
What is tragedy? What is tragedy today? What is its structure and how do we perceive it?
An in-depth analysis of the ancient text will be accompanied by practical exercises, making the transition from a simple reading of the text to its expression on stage effortless. Systematic rehearsals, intensive physical and vocal training, and improvisation will help the participants discover the potential of their 'instruments' and how to control them.
The final goal is the presentation of a ritual enactment involving all the participants.
Practical information
Working languages: English & Greek (knowledge of English is also essential for Greek participants).
Participation fee: 450€. This covers tuition, transportation from Athens to Lygourio (and return), accommodation in a hostel (all participants together), breakfast and lunch.
Anyone interested in participating should send their CV and a photograph by 15 June 2023 to drama2@n-t.gr with “Sixth International Ancient Drama Workshop” in the subject line.
The selection will be made on the basis of the CVs. An interview is likely to follow. For further information and the CVs of the instructors, visit the National Theatre of Greece website www.n-t.gr
Academic Head of the Workshop: Irene Moundraki
For more information contact Eftychia Charalampaki at drama2@n-t.gr and on 2105288253.
The National Theatre of Greece International Ancient Drama Workshop is a member of the International Ancient Drama Network created, coordinated and financed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, with the aim of educating people working in the theatre at different levels and categories about ancient drama, familiarising the general public with the genre, and developing the conditions under which theatre people from different countries can work together.
Photo: Patroklos Skafidas
