Aeschylus’ The Persians to be live-streamed from Epidaurus on July 25

A performance of the ancient Greek play The Persians, by Aeschylus, will be live-streamed to a global audience from the ancient theatre of Epidaurus on July 25, the Culture Ministry announced on Thursday.

The event, part of this year’s Athens and Epidaurus Festival, will be the first time that any event is being live-streamed from Epidaurus.

The Persians, Aeschylus’ most important anti-war play, recounts the Persian response to news of their military defeat at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE, which was a decisive event in the ongoing Greco-Persian Wars.

“Our goal this summer has been to prevent Covid-19 from affecting cultural events and leaving artists without employment and local communities without additional revenues,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said.

“The Athens and Epidaurus Festival and the National Theatre of Greece, two major cultural institutions supervised by the ministry, share our beliefs and thus creatively adjusted their scheduling to the new reality.”

On his side, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the performance is “a pivotal moment, as humanity is still challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The play will be live-streamed at 9 p.m. Athens time (GMT +2) through livefromepidaurus.gr and will be also available at the websites of the National Theatre of Greece, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival and the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the National Theatre of Greece’s YouTube channel.

It is in Greek with English subtitles and lasts approximately 90 minutes.

The streaming is done in partnership with Google Greece and will be available through YouTube worldwide except Greece, free of charge, although donations are welcome.

All proceeds will benefit the National Theatre and Greek actors impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.