TUESDAY 07/07 — Lee Miller in Hitler’s Bathtub in Peiraios 260
Belgian company Needcompany presents Lee Miller in Hitler’s Bathtub, a “tragic cantata” by Jan Lauwers and Maarten Seghers inspired by one of the 20th century’s most iconic photographs. Rather than a conventional biography, the production uses music, performance, and striking stage imagery to examine memory, trauma, art, and female creativity through the life of war photographer Lee Miller.
Centered on the moment Miller was photographed in Adolf Hitler’s bathtub after documenting the horrors of the Dachau concentration camp, the performance expands her story into a broader reflection on women who sought artistic independence while living in the shadow of powerful institutions and celebrated men. Five musicians and two performers bring the work to life in an elegiac meditation on history, identity, and the lasting impact of violence.
WEDNESDAY 08/07 — The Shadows in Peiraios 260
Iranian director and playwright Afsaneh Mahian brings The Shadows to Epidaurus following its world premiere in Germany. Blending documentary research with poetic theater, the production draws on real-life testimonies from different countries to reveal the enduring relevance of ancient Greek tragedy.
The performance follows three true stories whose emotional journeys echo the tragic figures of Jocasta, Antigone, and Medea. Through movement, silence, and text, Mahian explores loss, resistance, fear, and destiny while showing how ancient myths continue to resonate with contemporary lives. Shaped by the creators’ recent experiences amid conflict and uncertainty in Iran, The Shadows reflects on the resilience of the human spirit and the universal nature of tragedy.
© Pavlos Vrionides
THURSDAY 09/07 — The Corridor in Peiraios 260
Choreographer Fotis Nikolaou’s The Corridor combines dance and theater in a poetic exploration of grief, memory, identity, and transformation. Using the corridor as a metaphor for life’s passages, the performance examines farewell not only as the loss of loved ones, but also as the gradual disappearance of youth, security, freedom, and belonging.
The performers navigate an ever-changing emotional landscape where memory is carried through the body and personal experience intersects with broader social concerns. Without offering definitive answers, The Corridor invites audiences to reflect on absence, aging, marginalization, and the role of art as a form of resistance against violence, fascism, and systemic discrimination.
The Tiger Lilies © Guy Bellingham
FRIDAY 10/07 — The Bacchae in Ancient Theater of Epidaurus
The Ivan Vazov National Theatre of Bulgaria makes its first appearance in Greece with Euripides’ The Bacchae, directed by Javor Gardev and featuring a live performance by British band The Tiger Lillies. The musicians become part of the drama itself, creating a theatrical experience that blends tragedy with live music.
Gardev’s production revisits the timeless conflict between reason and irrationality through the opposing forces represented by Apollo and Dionysus. The performance examines society’s response to instability, fear, and the unknown, asking how civilizations confront forces they cannot control. Performed in English with Greek surtitles, the production also draws parallels between the play’s themes and the destructive power of intolerance and nationalism.
© Akis Christou
SATURDAY 11/07 — Oedipus Steps in Epidaurus Stadium
Composer Zisis Seglias offers an original musical interpretation of the Oedipus myth with Oedipus Steps. Instead of retelling Sophocles’ tragedies, the 45-minute work imagines the unseen final moments of Oedipus after he leaves the stage, exploring what the legendary figure might have experienced during his final solitary journey.
Built around the expressive sound of a solo double bass, the performance combines music, dance, and spoken word to capture the character’s inner emotional landscape. The work offers a contemporary reflection on one of Greek mythology’s most enduring figures while revealing new dramatic possibilities hidden within the classical tradition.
SUNDAY 12/07 — Butchers in Peiraios 260
Choreographer Gloria Dorliguzzo’s Butchers investigates the historical and symbolic connection between the traditional Greek hasapiko dance and the profession from which it takes its name. Inspired by this shared origin and influenced by Japanese martial arts, the performance transforms the gestures of cutting into a choreographic language built on rhythm, repetition, and memory.
Rather than depicting the butcher’s trade literally, the production uses movement alone to explore craftsmanship, discipline, and embodied knowledge. Developed through collaboration between professional butchers and a specialist in traditional Greek dance, Butchers reimagines manual labor as ritual and performance while opening broader conversations about sacrifice, history, and the relationship between humans and animals.
