The Oresteia at Delphi
Theatre and Reflection
25-27 July 2025
With the support
Sponsor
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Sunday 27 July
First Session
Second Session
From 25 to 27 July, the European Cultural Delphi Centre hosts a major cultural gathering that brings together theatrical performance and critical reflection. Aeschylus’ iconic Oresteia, directed by Theodoros Terzopoulos, will be presented at the “Phrynihos” Theatre, following its triumphant debut as part of the director’s first collaboration with the National Theatre of Greece.
Terzopoulos’ Oresteia has been hailed as one of the most significant moments in recent Greek theatre history. Intellectually profound and viscerally powerful, it expands the boundaries of the art form and ultimately narrates the story of humanity itself.
In parallel, the international symposium Mythos and Mneme: The Oresteia in the Contemporary World will convene for two days of exchange and exploration, featuring acclaimed theorists, directors, emerging artists, and members of the production’s cast and creative team. The symposium aims to revisit ancient drama through the lens of today’s existential and political questions.
The event is part of the Centre’s ongoing mission to foster dialogue between antiquity and the contemporary world. Delphi, as a timeless site of memory and transformation, welcomes creators and thinkers from Greece and abroad into a space where ancient texts and modern sensibilities meet in dynamic conversation.
Two open discussions hold a special place in the program. The first, titled A Right to Mythology , brings Theodoros Terzopoulos into conversation with five emerging women directors working with ancient drama. This encounter highlights the perspective of a new generation and the female gaze on myth, creating a space for exchange of experiences, questions, and scenic approaches. The second, titled Oresteia: From Rehearsal to Performance, invites the production’s main contributors to reflect on the creative process, share their experience, and offer a behind-the-scenes look into the making of this powerful performance.
Theodoros Terzopoulos — who for fifteen years was the driving force behind the International Meetings on Ancient Drama in Delphi — returns to the Centre as an ideal partner in this multilayered encounter of theatre, memory, and thought.
Programme
Friday, July 25
21.00
National Theatre of Greece
Aeschylus’ The Oresteia
Directed by Theodoros Terzopoulos
Photo: Johanna Weber
Saturday, July 26
10.00-10.15
Opening of the Symposium-Addresses
10.15-11.15
First Session
Chair: Irene Moundraki, dramaturg – theatre critic, Head of Drama, Library, Archive & International Relations Departments, National Theatre of Greece
Andrea Porcheddu, dramaturg, University Professor
Between Apollo and Dionysus οr The return of Theodoros Terzopoulos to the Teatro Olimpico
Frank Raddatz, author, dramaturg
The Dionysian planet – Towards a metabolic aesthetic
Eleni Varopoulou, theatre theoretician, translator, author
Translating the “Oresteia”: The political stake of interpretation
Freddy Decreus, Professor Emeritus, University of Ghent
Between Jung and Quantum Consciousness, or How to interpret Terzopoulos’ “Oresteia” in a new ‘Myth and Ritual’ theory
11.15-11.45
Discussion
11.45-12.00
Coffee break
12.00-13.15
Second Session
Chair: Konstantinos Arvanitakis, theatre director, Director of the Drama School of the Athens Conservatoire
Irene Moundraki, dramaturg – theatre critic, Head of Drama, Library, Archive & International Relations Departments, National Theatre of Greece
“Alas for human fortune!” Men, gods and fortune
Maria Vogiatzi, theatre theorist, production manager of ATTIS Theatre
“the blood of the dead might still remain awake”, gender dynamics and memory in “Oresteia“
Maria Scicchitano, theatre theorist, dramaturg
The Body as Archive: Memory and Myth in “Oresteia” by T. Terzopoulos
George Sampatakakis, Assoc. Professor of Drama and Performance, University of Patras
The Chorus in the “Oresteia”
Penelope Chatzidimitriou, Dr in Theatre Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
An anti-fascist interpretation of Theodoros Terzopoulos’ “Oresteia”
13.15-13.45
Discussion
21.00
National Theatre of Greece
Aeschylus’ The Oresteia
Directed by Theodoros Terzopoulos
Photo: Johanna Weber
Sunday, July 27
10.00-11.30
THE ORESTEIA, FROM REHEARSAL TO PERFORMANCE
Theodoros Terzopoulos in conversation with actors Tasos Dimas, Sophia Hill, Aglaia Pappa, David Malteze, and members of the Chorus
11.30 – 11.45
Coffee break
11.45 – 13.15
A RIGHT TO MYTHOLOGY
An open dialogue between five emerging female directors and Theodoros Terzopoulos.
Organization-coordination: George Zamboulakis, theatre director, Professor of Acting
With the participation of: Katerina Giannopoulou, Valeria Dimitriadou, Natasa Papandreou, Areti Seintaridou, Aristi Tselou
Tickets for the performances available at www.ticketservices.gr/event/nt-oresteia/?lang=en
The Symposium is free to attend.
