A unique experience of ancient Greek drama was presented to the audience at the Minor Latham Playhouse in New York recently, according to greekreporter.com.
Euripides’ famed tragedy ”Herakles” was performed on April 6 — but this time, the heartrending story was presented in a different way.
The whole performance was presented, not in English, with a translated version of the play, but in ancient Greek, using the original script from the fifth century BC.
The audience had the precious opportunity to enjoy a performance which did not only transmit the original sense and atmosphere of the play, but the original sound of its language as well.
The performance also added an ancient Greek instrument called an aulos to its chorus, something which lent a totally different dimension to the play, musically highlighting the dramatic tension of the story.
The producers of this magical event aimed to present to the globe how ancient Greek tragedies still resound in our contemporary, everyday lives, thousands of years after they were written.
No matter how far back in time these plays were written, their substance and their significance remain still relevant and modern, as they speak to the universality of the human psyche.
“Herakles” is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides; it was originally performed 2,435 years ago in Athens during the city’s ”Dionysia” Festival.
The plot finds Herakles (Hercules) in the underworld, obtaining Cerberus for one of his labors. His father Amphitryon, his wife Megara, and his children are later condemned to death in Thebes by Lycus.
Herakles arrives in time to save them, even though the goddesses Iris and Madness cause him to kill his wife and children in an uncontrollable fit of madness.
Herakles is the second of two surviving tragedies by Euripides, in which the family of Herakles are depicted as suppliants.
The play was directed by Caleb Simone, the vocal melody was composed by Anna Conser while the aulos music was composed and performed live by Callum Armstrong.
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