As Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey renews global fascination with Homer’s epic, the war’s other story has been brought to life at one of Greece’s ancient landmarks.
The Trojan Women, featuring a cast of 22 performers, including many actors with disabilities, was staged at Epidaurus, the ancient open-air stone theatre in southern Greece.
The Aug. 2 performance marked what organisers described as the first fully accessible production in the ancient theatre’s 2,300-year history.
While Homer followed warriors sailing home from Troy, playwright Euripides — writing around three centuries later — turned his attention to the city’s ruins and the women left behind, who faced exile and enslavement.
The ancient theatre provided a full range of accessibility services for the performance. Blind audience members received Braille programmes, tactile models and live audio description, while deaf spectators followed overhead titles. Physical adaptations also improved access throughout the site.
“It’s the first time a performance at Ancient Epidaurus has been made accessible to everyone,” said Greg Polychronidis, a Paralympic gold medallist who attended the performance.
“Today was a celebration of equality and it should serve as an example for everyone, forever,” he said.
For many of the performers, appearing on the ancient stage formed part of the production’s message, giving a voice to people who are often overlooked.
Eirini Kourouvani, a 58-year-old cast member who uses a wheelchair, had never entered the theatre before.
“It is just grand,” she said. “I feel my heart opening up as wide as this theatre is.”
Ioanna-Maria Gertsou, a blind psychologist, attended the performance with Babu, her guide dog.
“We too have the right to attend performances on an equal footing,” she said, expressing relief that her dog remained quiet throughout the play.
The National Theatre of Greece produced the performance, while the nonprofit Liminal designed its accessibility services.
Argyro Chioti, the National Theatre’s artistic director, said accessibility should become standard practice rather than an exception.
“This was complex, not simple. It required months of planning. It cost money. And it required very specific organisational expertise,” she said.
“But that’s the standard and the level we need to reach — the major stages and the major theatres,” Chioti said.
(Source: Associated Press – Petros Giannakouris and Derek Gatopoulos)