The National Theater of Greece is participating again this year in the “International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama,” presenting Euripides’ *Alcestis*, directed by Dimitris Karantzas, at the Ancient Theater of Kourion on August 7 and 8, 2026.

Iro Bezou plays the title role of Alcestis, while the cast also includes Konstantinos Avarikiotis, Dimitra Vlagopoulou, Giorgos Zygooris, Giannis Niarros, Kostas Nikouli, Aeneas Tsamatis, and Theodora Tzimu.

Dimitris Karantzas directs this National Theater production as a contemporary parable with a strong political undertone. A dual-natured play. A constant suspension between life and death, between play and nightmare, between overwhelming tragedy and unexpected comedy.

Admetus will be saved from death only if someone else agrees to die in his place. Alcestis, his wife, offers herself as a “substitute.” Her sacrifice unfolds publicly, before the eyes of the citizens, as a premeditated murder—an act that today is inevitably interpreted as femicide, legitimized by the social and political order.

*Alcestis* is the only surviving work of ancient tragedy that brings to the stage not only Death but also Resurrection. However, the question remains open: what does a return to life mean when the sacrifice has already taken place? What does Alcestis’s deafening silence signify? And what is the price of salvation?

The director stages *Alcestis* as a theatrical experiment, in which music, sound, movement, and the acrobatics of theatrical style coexist organically, creating a fluid, liminal, and ever-changing world. With a cast of acclaimed actors and creative team members, the production does not merely retell the myth, but raises crucial questions about power, gender, sacrifice, and society’s responsibility toward the death of the eponymous—and not only—heroine.

This National Theater production marks the conclusion of this year’s festival program, organized by the Department of Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Cyprus Center of the International Theater Institute.  

ALCESTIS by Euripides

NATIONAL THEATER OF GREECE

Friday, August 7 │ Ancient Theater of Kourion

Saturday, August 8 │ Ancient Theater of Kourion

With English and Greek surtitles

The performance is suitable for ages 12 and up

Duration: 120 minutes

Performances begin at 9:00 p.m. | Please arrive at the theater by 8:00 p.m.

Ticket sales:

SOLD-OUT TICKETS

STEPHANIS stores throughout Cyprus

Ticket prices:

€16 regular

€10 reduced (students, university students, National Guard members, retirees, large families, unemployed)

Information: 7000 2414 │ www.greekdramafest.com

Transportation for audience members from Nicosia:

To accommodate audiences from Nicosia, bus transportation will be provided to the Ancient Theater of Kourion for performances of the National Theater’s production, *Alcestis*, on August 7 and 8. During the trip, theater scholars will present and analyze the play for the audience.

Bus ticket price (Nicosia – Ancient Theater of Kourion): €5 (round-trip)

You must purchase the bus ticket along with the performance ticket, no later than 8 days before the date of each performance or until all available seats on the buses are sold out.

Departure time: 6:30 p.m. (parking lot across from the Handicrafts Center on Athalassa Avenue)

Alcestis by Euripides

NATIONAL THEATER OF GREECE

About the Production

Adaptation and Direction: Dimitris Karantzas

Dramaturgical Consultant: Gelly Kalabaka

Set Design: Konstantinos Skourletis

Costumes: Ioanna Tsami

Music – Sound Design: Panagiotis Manouilidis

Movement: Tasos Karachalios

Lighting Design: Eliza Alexandropoulou

Sound Design: Angelos Kontaxis

Voice editing: Melina Paionidou

Stage Director: Eri Kyrgia

Assistant Director: Konstantina Kaltsiou

Assistant Lighting Designer: Marietta Pavlaki

Assistant Costume Designer: Dimitra Stavridou

Cast:

Feris: Konstantinos Avarikiotis

Maid: Dimitra Vlagkopoulou

Hercules: George Zygooris

Alkestis: Iro Bezu

Admetus: Giannis Niarros

Apollo: Kostas Nikouli

Servant: Aeneas Tsamatis

Death: Theodora Tzimu

Chorus: Antonis Antonopoulos, Elissaios Vlachos, Dimitris Kaukas, Giota Kouitzoglou, Katerina Latta, Ioannis Bastas, Maria Moschouri, Angelos–Prokopis Nerantzis, Giorgos Skarlatos

The performances of this production, as part of the Festival, are held under the auspices of the Embassy of Greece in Cyprus