Greece: Ancient Epidaurus Amphitheatre Hosts Theatre Performances All Summer
BalkanTravellers.com
Although many of the plays are either in Greek or in a foreign language with Greek subtitles, every year thousands of foreigners attend performances in the amphitheatre known for its exceptional acoustics.
The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is situated within the archaeological site of the Sanctuary of Asklepios, in the Argolis prefecture of the Peloponnese. It is a half-hour drive from Nafplio and approximately two hours from Athens.
Built in the fourth century BC by Polykleitos the Younger, the venue’s original 34 rows were extended by another 21 rows in Roman times. Now it sits 15,000 people, which makes last-minute purchasing of tickets possible.
Starting today until August 22, nearly a dozen plays will be performed at the Epidaurus amphitheatre every weekend. Tonight’s opening performance is The Clouds by Aristophanes, presented by the Cyprus Theater Organization.
In the coming weeks, the ancients will be represented with new production of Euripides’ Trojan Woman and Alcestis, Aeschylus’ Persians and Aristophanes’ Birds. Other highlights include a Sam Mendes-directed Winter’s Tale, Racine’s Phedre, starring Helen Mirren, and Amos Gitai’s The War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness, based on Flavius Josephus’ The Jewish War.
Some weekends, a parallel programme at the nearby the Little Epidaurus Theater, which seats around 5,000 spectators, is also planned.
For directions on how to get there, the full programme of performances for July and August and information on purchasing tickets, visit www.greekfestival.gr.
Read more about Greece on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's tips to organize your trip to Greece
Epicure
Bulgaria
Shopska Salad: Three common mistakes
To Bulgarians, Shopska salad is a bit like the scrambled eggs case – while it looks as if there is no way to screw the dish, in fact its proper preparation requires nothing less then utter care and devotion. In this case – in selecting the right products and adjusting the proportions. Full Story
Curiosity Chest
Balkans
The Red and White Strings that Welcome Spring in Bulgaria and Romania
I remember walking along Canal Street in New York’s Chinatown on March 2 a few years ago, when I saw a man sporting a small ornament made of red and white thread pinned to his coat lapel. He must be Bulgarian, I thought to myself with a sudden rush of homesickness, but now realize that he may have been Romanian as well.
Full Story
Useful Reads
Bulgaria
Street without a Name: Childhood and Other Misadventures in Bulgaria (2008) | By Kapka Kassabova
Danube blues
Text by Nicholas Lezard for The Guardian*
Full Story
Music
Bulgaria
The Choir that Turned England a Bit Bulgarian
One of the few constant sources of pride for Bulgarians is traditional folk music, and especially singing. But not the Oriental-beats-modified kind that often booms in nightclubs, giving their clientele the urge to jump atop tables and chairs and sway their hips around; rather the kind that, when heard, mesmerises you and gives you goose bumps, the kind that is haunting with its out-of-this universe quality, mostly figuratively but sometimes literally as well.
Full Story
-
Photogalleries
-
A Perfect Shot
Koprivshtitsa Fair, Bulgara. Photographs by Neva Micheva
In Homo Urbanus Europeanus, exhibited May 9-24 in front of the National Theatre in Sofia, Jean-Marc Caracci presents his photographs of people in the urban environment of European capitals.
RED&WHITE SOFIA. On the 1st of March Bulgarians say goodbye to the winter. They buy each other red&white threads to carry around until they see a stork and spring can begin. Photography by Lode Desmet
BULGARIA D'OR: The Bulgarian countryside, patinated with the noble golden dust of the autumn. Photographs by Lode Desmet
360 degrees Bulgaria, an exhibition by photographer Alexandar Ivanov, is on display at the Sea Garden in Varna until August 28. It will be shown at Plovdiv’s Central Square from Sept 5.
The exhibition Photographs of a Trip Through Bulgaria by Hungarian photographer András Balla can be seen in Sofia's Hungarian Cultural Institute, at Aksakov 16 Street, until August 22
Instant Spring in Sofia | Photographs by Lode Desmet
Off-the-season Beauty of Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast | Photographs by Adelina Iliev
Bulgaria's Northern Black Sea Coast
Photographs by Albena Shkodrova
excellent smugs
