The thought-provoking Catharsis: An Interpretive Approach to Feminine Archetypes in Ancient Greek Tragedy, directed by Avgi Maria Atmatzidou, was performed at the Hellenic Cultural Center in Astoria on June 15 after the show was postponed due to the smoke conditions the previous week.
Featuring three iconic female characters from ancient Greek tragedy, Clytemnestra, Helen of Troy, and Medea, the play highlights the timelessness of themes from antiquity to the present day along with the constancy of human nature. Each of the performers Maria Thiraiou as Clyemnestra, Cathie Theofanis as Helen, and Atmatzidou as Medea, brought their unique interpretation to the characters while Maria Micheles and Alexander Colombos contributed narration and further insights into the texts and the role of tragedy in ancient Greece.
With text in ancient Greek, modern Greek, English, and Spanish, the performance showcased the universality of the ancient plays while also touching on issues that persist to this day, such as domestic violence and human trafficking, but also offering hope for positive change in the future. In light of the many recent novels in English retelling the ancient Greek myths from the perspective of female characters, hearing the texts in Greek and especially in ancient Greek was compelling.
Original music by Antonios Chrysovergis also elevated the performance, adding another layer of artistry to the production. Atmatzidou called Chrysovergis to come up to the stage at the end of the performance to take a bow with the cast for his impressive work.
A Q&A session followed the performance with the cast and director sharing further insights into the show and the characters they portrayed.
Read more at thenationalherald.com
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