Troades at Epidaurus Cancelled Due to Wildfires After Historic Accessibility First

The news in Greek

1. παρουσιάζω
   Κάνω κάτι γνωστό στο κοινό, δείχνω κάτι για πρώτη φορά. ↩︎
2. παράσταση  (f.)
   Θεατρική εκδήλωση που παίζεται μπροστά στο κοινό. ↩︎
3. αναπηρία  (f.)
   Η κατάσταση κάποιου που έχει περιορισμένες σωματικές ή πνευματικές ικανότητες. ↩︎
4. πρεμιέρα  (f.)
   Η πρώτη επίσημη παράσταση ή προβολή ενός έργου. ↩︎
5. ακυρώνω
   Σταματώ ή καταργώ κάτι που ήταν προγραμματισμένο να γίνει. ↩︎
6. πυρκαγιά  (f.)
   Μεγάλη και ανεξέλεγκτη φωτιά που καίει δάση, κτίρια ή άλλες περιοχές. ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Which ancient playwright wrote Troades?

Question 2: Why was the premiere cancelled?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
παρουσιάζω	to present
παράσταση  (f.)	performance
αναπηρία  (f.)	disability
πρεμιέρα  (f.)	premiere
ακυρώνω	to cancel
πυρκαγιά  (f.)	fire

Read the full story

A landmark production of Euripides’ Troades (The Trojan Women) by Greece’s National Theatre had its opening night performance at the ancient theatre of Epidaurus cancelled due to wildfires burning in the surrounding area.

The National Theatre announced the cancellation following advice from the relevant authorities, citing safety concerns for audiences, cast, and staff. Ticket holders who purchased online will receive automatic refunds to their bank accounts. Those who paid by card terminal or cash may collect refunds from the Athens and Epidaurus Festival box offices at Syntagma Square and Pireos 260, Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 18:00. Audiences wishing to transfer their tickets to the Saturday performance were advised to contact festival box offices for further information.

The cancellation came just days after the production had already made history. Directed by Eleni Efthymiou, the production is described as the first at Epidaurus to feature a mixed cast of performers with and without disabilities, in collaboration with the Thessaloniki-based group En Dynami. The play follows the women of Troy after the fall of the city — Hecuba, Andromache, Cassandra and others — as they await their fate as spoils of war, exploring themes of conflict, loss, exile, and human dignity.

Artistic director of the National Theatre, Argyro Chioti, explained that accessibility was central to the production from the outset. “The idea had accessibility at its core from the beginning. We wanted to make a major production at Epidaurus where performers with and without disabilities would genuinely coexist,” she said. This led the theatre to Efthymiou, whose prior experience with En Dynami was described as decisive.

Preparing the production required the National Theatre to develop entirely new working practices. Three rehearsal assistants — professional actors not performing in the show — were brought in to support cast members throughout rehearsals. A comprehensive accessibility plan for audiences was also developed, including audio description for visually impaired spectators, Greek Sign Language interpretation for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, and organised transport from Athens. Because a traditional tactile tour before the performance was not feasible at the large archaeological site, visually impaired audience members were instead offered a tactile introduction during the coach journey from Athens, with costume fabrics, props, and descriptions provided by theatre specialists. Chioti noted that the knowledge gained through the process would remain with the National Theatre beyond this production: “This experience does not end with the final performance.”