[…] A large theater troupe, sets that are constantly transformed through mirrors and reflections, long and imposing costumes with a timeless aesthetic, lighting that ceaselessly alters the visual perception of the space, and music that at times underscores irony and at other times passion—all combine to create a spectacle that is sufficiently impressive without resorting to sensationalism.

Giorgos Savvidis, *O Fileleftheros*, July 19, 2026

Following the successful performances at the Makarios III Amphitheater of the School for the Blind in Nicosia, which were met with thunderous applause from the audience, Euripides’ *Ion*, directed by Thomas Moschopoulos, will give its final two performances in Cyprus on July 22, 2026, in Larnaca, at the Patticheio Municipal Amphitheater, and on July 24, 2026, in Limassol, at the Ancient Theater of Kourion. Afterward, the production will travel to Greece for two performances at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus on August 28 and 29, 2026, as part of this year’s Athens & Epidaurus Festival.

This is one of the most enigmatic works of ancient drama. *Ion* is not a “pure” tragedy: it straddles the line between the tragic and the comic, myth and realism, mysticism and skepticism, placing the issue of identity and belonging at its center. A play that seems to engage directly with contemporary experience, in an era where everything is constantly being questioned and renegotiated.

Following last year’s successful collaboration with THOK on Nikolai Gogol’s *The Inspector General*, the acclaimed, highly experienced director Thomas Moschopoulos returns to the Organization and, at the same time, to the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, presenting a new interpretation of Euripides’ drama. His return marks yet another creative encounter with Euripides, a poet with whom he has engaged repeatedly in the past (*The Bacchae*, *Alcestis*, *Iphigenia in Tauris*). Set and costume design are by the multi-award-winning Vasilis Papatsarouhas; the music is composed (and performed on stage) the groundbreaking Anastasia Dimitriadou (nama dama), with movement and choreography by the experienced Fotis Nikolaou, and the up-and-coming Marios Kakoullis serving as co-director.

Distinguished actors have taken on the leading roles, alongside a group of multi-talented young men and women in the dance ensemble. Stella Fyrogeni plays Creusa, the raped princess who later becomes queen and ancestor of the Ionians; Neoklis Neokleous plays Xouthos, the non-Athenian young king of Athens, and Yannis Tsoumarakis in the title role as the illegitimate son and later progenitor, form the central triangle of the myth.

The action unfolds at the sacred oracle of Apollo at Delphi, which serves as a threshold between the visible and the invisible, between the public and the private. There, the young Ion grows up without a name or awareness of his origins, struggling to piece together a coherent identity from fragments, even as the audience already knows the truth. Through contradictions, distortions, and misinterpretations, the hazy, almost invisible past crystallizes into a pure, tangible present, and an expectation of meaning emerges from the void.

The performance seeks to highlight the play’s playful and ambiguous spirit, transforming the stage into a multifaceted space for reflection where the images of truth and falsehood overlap, revealing and concealing, with the question of identity remaining open, fluid, and fraught with suspense.

Production Credits

Direction, Translation, and Dramaturgy: Thomas Moschopoulos

Associate Director: Marios Kakoullis

Set Design–Costumes: Vasilis Papatsarouhas

Music Composition, Soundscape Design, Music Coaching: Nama Dama

Movement and Choreography: Fotis Nikolaou

Lighting Design: Georgios Koukoumas

Artistic Director of Visual Identity: Vasilis Papatsarouhas

Assistant Set Designer, Costume Designer, and Special Costume Construction: Orestis Lazouras Production Associate: Eleni Nikolaou

Cast:

Yannis Tsoumarakis as Ion

Stela Fyrogeni as Kreusa

Neoklis Neokleous as Xouthos

Valentinos Kokkinos, Tutor

Vasilis Athanasopoulos, Dimitris Antoniou, Ioannis Varvaressos,

Grigoris Georgiou, Nikolas Grammatikopoulos, Maria Drakou, Margarita Zachariou, Ioanna Kordatou, Theofanis Kosmas, Andreas Koutsoftas, Marian Kyprianou, Dimitris Lagoutis, Pella Makrodimitri, Theophilos Manologlou, Athina Moustaka, Christos Papadopoulos, Christina Papadopoulou, Ioanna Papamichalopoulou,

Chris Spyrou, Maria Tsiakka, Vasilis Charalambous

Musicians on stage: Nama Dama, Nikolas Tsangaris, Zinonas Oikonomidis

Two final performances in Cyprus

Larnaca: Patticheio Municipal Amphitheater

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 (as part of the 2026 Larnaca Festival)

Limassol: Ancient Theater of Kourion*

Friday, July 24, 2026 (with English and Turkish subtitles)

Performances begin at 9:00 p.m.

*The ancient monuments are used with permission from the Deputy Ministry of Culture.

Free bus transportation from Paphos to the Ancient Theater of Kourion and back

DEPARTURE POINT

Stelios Kyriakides Stadium (formerly Paphos Stadium)

1 Michael Savva Avenue, Paphos 8028

Check-in time: 7:00
PM Bus departure time: 7:15 PM sharp

Information / Tickets

Online at www.thoc.org.cy

THOK Theater Box Office, tel. 77 77 27 17 (Tuesday–Saturday 10:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.)

Ticket Prices

€20 | €10 (unemployed, retirees, families with multiple children upon presentation of the relevant proof of eligibility, and individuals under 25 years of age upon presentation of a government-issued ID)

Athens & Epidaurus Festival 2026

Ancient Theater of Epidaurus

Friday, August 28, 2026

Saturday, August 29, 2026

Tickets: www.more.com