Introducing the Ancient Theatres of Greece 3rd Edition FRAGMENTS: Euripides

FRAGMENTS: Euripides

A Stage Composition at the Crossroads of Theatre and Archaeology

Ancient Theatre of Mieza, Naoussa

Free admission

Advance online booking is required: https://www.ticketservices.gr/event/nt-thavsmata/

Following its warm reception last year, FRAGMENTS: Euripides, directed by Efthymis Theou, returns for a second consecutive summer as part of the National Theatre of Greece's "Introducing the Ancient Theatres of Greece" programme, presented with the support of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the DIAZOMA Association.

Blending theatre, archaeology, storytelling and live music, the production explores both the surviving and the lost works of Euripides, transforming every ancient theatre into a symbolic excavation site where fragments of ancient drama recover their voice.

The 2026 tour will visit the Ancient Theatres of Mieza, Gitana, Kassope, Ambracia and Pleuron on 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8 July, before continuing to Crete from 26 August to 3 September.

About the Performance

Inspired by the discovery in 2022 of a papyrus in Philadelphia, Egypt, containing fragments of Euripides' lost plays Polyidus and Ino, the performance presents a unique theatrical and musical journey through the playwright's fragmentary surviving works.

Five performers, acting simultaneously as archaeologists, conduct an on-stage excavation using authentic archaeological tools. Instead of uncovering pottery or architecture, they reveal fragments of ancient dramatic poetry, reconstructing forgotten performances and bringing to life voices that have remained silent for centuries.

Euripides' Lost Works

In addition to his nineteen surviving plays, more than 1,000 verses from Euripides' lost dramas survive on papyri and in later literary sources. These fragments—including works such as Andromeda, Phaethon, Cretans and Polyidus—form the poetic foundation of this production, which combines narration, music and performance to recreate a lost theatrical world.

The Programme

The "Introducing the Ancient Theatres of Greece" initiative is organised by the National Theatre of Greece in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, DIAZOMA and local authorities. Entering its third year, the programme aims to reconnect contemporary theatre with Greece's ancient performance spaces while promoting the country's cultural heritage and strengthening local communities.

Theatre / Archaeology

The production continues director Efthymis Theou's fifteen-year artistic research into the relationship between theatre and archaeology, developing a hybrid artistic practice that combines archaeological methods with site-specific performance.

His previous projects have been presented at archaeological sites throughout Greece as well as at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Benaki Museum and other institutions in Greece and abroad.

Creative Team

Direction & Dramaturgy: Efthymis Theou

Dramaturgical Collaboration: Kyriakos Karseras

Original Music: Kornilios Selamsis

Set Design: Loukas Bakas

Costume Design: Pavlos Thanopoulos

Movement: Nikoleta Xenariou

Production Dramaturg: Eva Saraga

Assistant Director: Mairy Karazisi

Assistant Set Designer: Vangelis Xenodochidis

Performers: Eleni Vergeti, Giorgos Kritharas, Ilektra Nikolouzou, Giorgos Syrmas, Efthymis Theou

Duration: 60 minutes

Visitor Information

Free admission.

Advance online booking is required.

A limited number of tickets will be available at each venue one hour before the performance on a first-come, first-served basis.

At venues marked with an asterisk (*), the standard archaeological site admission fee applies.

Performances take place using natural daylight and acoustic sound.

Programme subject to change.

For more information: n-t.gr