The Persians
by Aeschylus
National Theatre of Greece – Athens & Epidaurus Festival 2020, Ancient theatre of Epidaurus, summer tour.
The Persians (472 BCE) is the oldest ancient Greek drama that has survived in full to the present day. It is also a historical record of the most important battle of the second Persian invasion of Greece (and one of the most crucial conflicts in human history), the Battle of Salamis, in which the play’s author, Aeschylus, took part.
Without triumphalism or bravado, and with respect for the suffering of the de-feated,
Aeschylus delivers a paean to the freedom of the individual, juxtaposing democratic ideals with tyranny and blind obedience to power. Victory crowns those who act wisely, while the mechanism of justice punishes anyone whose pride leads them into excesses, offending both gods and men with their arro-gance.
Creative team:
Translation – metric coaching: Theodoros Stefanopoulos
Direction: Dimitris Lignadis
Choreography – movement direction: Konstantinos Rigos
Set design: Alegia Papageorgiou
Costume design: Eva Nathena
Music: Giorgos Poulios
Lighting design: Christina Thanasoula
Music coach: Melina Peonidou
Assistant to the director: Nurmala Easty
Dramaturg: Eva Saraga
Assistant to the set designer: Daphne Foteinatou
Assistant to the costume designer: Sophia Gavala
Assistant to the choreographer: Angelos Panagopoulos, Markela Manoliadou
Assistant to the lighting designer: Marietta Pavlaki
Cast:
Lydia Koniordou, Argyris Pantazaras, Nikos Karathanos, Argyris Xafis, Vasilis Athanasopoulos, Konstantinos Gavalas, Michalis Theophanous, Spyros Kyriazopoulos, Alkiviadis Maggonas, Laertes Malkotsis, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Giannos Perlegas, Alberto Fais
















