Ulrich Rasche opens Epidaurus festival
Ulrich Rasche will open the Athens Epidaurus Festival with a new staging of Sophocles' Antigone in the ancient ampitheatre at Epidaurus (27, 28 and 29 June).
The festival is committed to commissioning groundbreaking productions of classical works from leading directors and international theatre companies: Antigone is a co-production with Greek National Theatre. Rasche last directed Aeschylus's Agamemnon there in a co-production with Munich’s Residenztheater in 2022.
In his introduction to the production, Rasche writes: 'I have always dreamt of directing Antigone by Sophocles at Epidaurus. Perhaps it is a little unusual to say, but my initial choice wasn’t informed so much by Antigone herself as by the figure of King Creon. As we know, Antigone is the heroine of the play. She resists the authoritarian rule of the King and asserts her own vision of what must be done. Her strength and defiance against authority are indeed admirable. Only, do we not live in a society where it is explicitly easy for everyone to assume the role of a hero or a heroine, speaking and acting according to their own set standards? Do we not sometimes forget that Creon's duty as king is to safeguard the state and its laws? Ι believe it is crucial to cast a closer look at the king and the arguments he puts forth – arguments that are so masterfully articulated by Sophocles in this tragedy.'
Built around 340BCE and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is renowned for its exceptional acoustics and historical significance and seats an audience of up to 15,000.
