Comedie-Francaise to perform for 1st time in Greece
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E-mail Xinhua, November 1, 2018
ATHENS, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Spanning three centuries of history, Comedie-Francaise, one of the most famous and oldest active theatre companies worldwide, will perform for first time ever next summer in Greece's ancient Epidaurus theatre, organizers of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival told a press conference here Wednesday.
The festival is the largest and most prestigious annual cultural event in Greece each summer since its inception in 1955.
The performance of Comedie-Francaise in a production of ancient Greek drama will be one of the highlights of the festival's 2019 program which was outlined by its artistic director, Vangelis Theodoropoulos.
"In 2019, we will be welcoming Comedie-Francaise, performing for the first time ever in Epidaurus in a production of Euripides' Electra/Orestes, directed by Ivo van Hove. A truly substantial collaboration," he said, according to an e-mailed statement.
The collaboration is a strong example of the Greek festival's international orientation, he explained.
Throughout its history, the Athens and Epidaurus festival has attracted internationally acclaimed artists who have staged performances of classical and modern drama, celebrated orchestras and dance productions.
The festival's second key goal is to further expand its audience.
"The 2018 proved to be a rich summer for the festival with outstanding moments, both at the Epidaurus theatre, welcoming a total of 93,409 theatre-goers across eight weekends (Friday to Saturday), as well as at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Performances hosted there attracted a total of 102,560 spectators," Theodoropoulos noted.
"Comedie-Francaise is the oldest active theatre company in the world and Epidaurus theatre is one of the oldest existing theaters. It is odd that they meet only now," Eric Ruf, general administrator of Comedie-Francaise, said during the press conference in Athens.
Founded in 1680, Comedie-Francaise's motto is "simul and singulis" (together and individually), which stresses how the collective nourishes the individual, who in turn enriches the collective, read a note distributed by the Greek festival's organizers. Enditem
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