ALCESTIS by Euripides

The National Theatre of Greece returns to the Festival with Euripides’ Alcestis, directed by Dimitris Karantzas. A contemporary parable with strong political significance, a dual-natured play, a constant hovering between life and death, playfulness and nightmare, devastating tragedy and unexpected comedy.

In the play, Admetus can only evade Death’s claim if someone else consents to die in his place. His spouse, Alcestis, offers herself in exchange. Her sacrifice unfolds publicly, before the eyes of the citizens, as a preordained killing – an act that, can only be read today as a femicide, legitimised by the prevailing societal and political power.

Alcestis is the sole surviving play from the body of ancient Greek tragedy to bring not only Death onto the stage, but also Resurrection. And yet the question remains unresolved: what does it mean to restore life once the sacrifice has already been made? What lies within Alcestis’ deafening silence? And what is the true cost of salvation when it rests upon the self-sacrifice of the most vulnerable?

Dimitris Karantzas orchestrates Alcestis as a stage experiment, in which music, sound, movement, and a balancing act of theatrical style coexist organically, creating a fluid, liminal, and ever-changing world. With a remarkable cast and crew, the production becomes a theatrical argument that does not merely recount the myth, but raises crucial questions about power, gender, sacrifice, and society’s responsibility towards the death of the eponymous—and not only—heroine.

• WITH ENGLISH AND GREEK SURTITLES
• SUITABLE FOR AGES 12+
• DURATION: 120 MINUTES