With four productions, an exhibition with artificial intelligence, a youth festival with two thousand students, the simulated trial and above all 160 thousand attendances within a week of the start, the 61st season at the Greek Theater of Syracuse of the National Institute of Ancient Drama Foundation presents itself as a record season. «To date, between sold and booked, more than 160 thousand visitors have been exceeded. On the same date last year, 129 thousand presences had been reached” explains the president of the Inda Foundation, the mayor of Syracuse Francesco Italia.
Alcestis by Euripides will open on 8 May, directed by Filippo Dini, translated by Elena Fabbro, with music by Paolo Fresu who will perform it live for the debut of the show co-produced with the Teatro Stabile del Veneto. Dini focuses on man-woman reflection and on the journey into horror (small or large) that every woman finds herself forced to go through. A complexity unknown to man, with his Alcestis ready to make unimaginable sacrifices for love.
On 9 May Antigone by Sophocles directed by Robert Carsen in the translation by Francesco Morosi. Playing Antigone is Camilla Semino Favro while Paolo Mazzarelli is Creonte, Mersila Sokoli Ismene, Gabriele Rametta Emone, Graziano Piazza Tiresia. Carsen, who will close his personal trilogy in Syracuse with Antigone, points to the difficulty of choosing: reason or feeling, heart or law, who is right and who is wrong. Current dilemmas, in a world that seems to have lost the compass of that democracy that led to the birth of the theater itself.
On June 13, Àlex Ollé, a Catalan director among the founders of the Fura dels Baus, will make his debut at the Greek Theater and will direct Aeschylus’ Persians in Walter Lapini’s translation. The cast includes Anna Bonaiuto in the role of Queen Atossa, Alessio Boni in that of Dario’s ghost, Giuseppe Sartori will be the messenger, Massimo Nicolini Serse. Finally, the Iliad, directed by Giuliano Peparini, co-produced in collaboration with the Archaeological Park of Syracuse, on stage from 14 to 27 June, with Vinicio Marchioni in the role of Aedo, Giuseppe Sartori in that of Achilles while in the role of Priam we will see Alessio Boni.
The Inda Foundation will participate, from 21 June to 5 July, in the special performance promoted by the Archaeological Park of Syracuse at the Ear of Dionysius, with the staging of some episodes of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, under the direction of Giuliano Peparini.
«We don’t want to be a museum or a place where the ashes of the past are preserved. But a living place where tradition is proposed and we need to innovate”, clarifies the delegate councilor Marina Valensise as she presents the new multimedia exhibition entitled “Under the sky of the Gods”. «This year we have created an immersive experience that will allow the spectator of the shows, but also the visitor of the Neapolis Archaeological Park, to have an idea of what Greek theater has been since Inda began producing shows. Showing through images and the story treated with artificial intelligence – he added -: by wearing a viewer you will be able to see archive images to allow the viewer to immerse themselves in 100 years of history”. Through the processing of ancient audio and video it will be possible to see some of the most emblematic protagonists of classical representations on stage again, including Vittorio Gassman and Valeria Moriconi.
«There are 106 schools for over 2 thousand students who this year will take part from 10 May to 3 June in the ancient theater of Akrai in Palazzolo Acreide in the International Festival of Classical Youth Theatre», proudly states the superintendent of the Inda Foundation, Daniele Pitteri. There are 99 performances scheduled at Palazzolo Acreide: on stage students from all over Italy and also from European countries such as Greece, Belgium, France and Luxembourg.
On May 22nd the appointment with Agòn returns, the simulated trial promoted by the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights and the Amici dell’Inda association: “Trial of Creon – the choice of Antigone” is the title of the 2026 edition with the participation of the actors Paolo Mazzarelli and Camilla Semino Favro.
From 30 May to 18 June, at the Orecchio di Dionisio, the cycle of meetings designed to offer an opportunity for reflection on the great themes of ancient literature through dialogue with texts from the classical world is renewed: protagonists Luca Micheletti who will dialogue with Francesco Morosi, Amanda Sandrelli with Margherita Rubino, Walter Lapini with Iacopo Gori and Caterina Mordeglia with Giuliano Peparini, Anna Bonaiuto and Giulio Guidorizzi.
The Season’s poster is signed by Michelangelo Pistoletto, the exponent of Arte Povera, and today one of the most important living contemporary artists, who created an ad hoc work entitled Theater.
Yesterday afternoon first appointment with Robert Carsen and the inauguration of the photographic journey hosted in the spaces of Ortea Palace Hotel Sicily. Until December 31st, the Inda Foundation and Ortea Palace Hotel Sicily will give life to a cycle of events that intertwines culture, art and tradition in the heart of Sicily: meetings with directors and actors, performances by students of the Academy of Art of Ancient Drama and a photographic journey dedicated to classical plays in the hotel spaces.
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