Tragedy of Democracy

The Department of Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Cyprus Centre of the International Institute for Theatre Research organize the “18th International Symposium on Ancient Greek Drama”, which will take place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026 at the Konstantinos Leventis Amphitheatre at the Leventis Gallery in Nicosia. The opening of the Symposium will be declared by the Deputy Minister of Culture, Ms Klea Hadjistefanou Papaellina.
This year's eighteenth edition of the Symposium, themed “The Tragedy of Democracy: Ancient Myths, Contemporary Political Ruptures and Echoes of Ancient Drama in the 21st Century”, focuses on the complex relationship between tragedy and democracy. It examines the political reflection of ancient tragedy and its contemporary readings and reinterpretations, in light of the social and political challenges from the late 20th century to the 21st century.
Ancient tragedy was born within the institutional and ideological horizon of Athenian democracy and, drawing on the mythical past, posed crucial questions about power, justice, collective responsibility and the place of the individual in the community. The Symposium explores how ancient myths and tragic patterns are reinterpreted through contemporary dramaturgy and direction, engaging with identity crises, social ruptures, political polarisation and war. At its centre is democracy as a field of tension and reflection, with ancient drama remaining a tool of artistic inquiry and political dialogue for the present.
The organizers aim to present a variety of theoretical approaches, from dramaturgical analysis, political theory, theatre semiotics, philosophy, sociology, performance studies and theatre criticism, to theories of reception, intertextuality and cultural transfer. The contribution of directors, dramaturgs and actors, who convey thoughts and conclusions from contemporary stage practice with a political or social dimension, is considered equally important.
Fifteen speakers, academics and theatre practitioners from Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Norway, Poland and the Czech Republic take part in the two-day programme of this year's edition.
On the first day of the Symposium, Saturday 7 November (10:00 - 13:15 and 16:30 - 19:00), ten speakers from the academic and theatre community will present their approaches in three sessions: “Democracy and Otherness: from the Ancient Stage to Contemporary Reception”, “Transformations of Myth and the Tragic in Times of Crisis” and “Ancient Drama on the Contemporary Stage: Direction, Bodies and Voices”.
Piero Totaro (Italy), Professor of Ancient Greek Language and Literature and History of Greek Theatre at the University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, and Director of the International Research and Study Centre for Carnival, Mask and Satire (CMS)

Thea Selliaas Thorsen (Norway), Professor of Classical Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim

Eleni Papazoglou (Greece), Professor of the History, Theory and Reception of Ancient Theatre, Department of Theatre, School of Fine Arts, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh)

Nikolaus Müller-Schöll (Germany), Professor of Theatre Studies at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main)

Pavlína Šípová (Czech Republic), Former Assistant Professor at the Institute of Greek and Latin Studies, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, Researcher in the fields of Greek theatre, literature and translation, and Officer at the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Department of International Relations and European Union

Małgorzata Budzowska (Poland), Associate Professor in the Department of Drama and Theatre at the University of Łódź, Poland, and Research Associate at the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (APGRD), University of Oxford

Deo Kangelari (Greece), Theatre Scholar, Director of Studies of the Drama School of the National Theatre

Giovanna Di Martino (United Kingdom), A. G. Leventis Foundation Honorary Research Fellow in Ancient Greek Literature, University College London, and Research Assistant at the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (APGRD), University of Oxford

Eleni Anastasiou (Cyprus), PhD in Theatre Studies, Director

Ivica Buljan (Croatia), Director and Artistic Director of the World Theatre Festival Zagreb

On Sunday, 8 November, from 10:00 to 13:30, a Round Table Discussion will take place on the theme "The Tragedy of Democracy on Stage: Contemporary Readings of Ancient Drama". The invited guests will share thoughts and experiences from their participation in contemporary stage approaches to ancient Greek tragedy, exploring its relationship with democracy and the questions of the present. Participants include Io Voulgaraki, Director, Deputy Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Greece; Eri Kyrgia, Theatre Scholar, Dramaturg, Translator; Varnavas Kyriazis, Director, Actor; Lea Maleni, Actress, Director; and Neoklis Neokleous, Actor, Director. The discussion is moderated by Christos Georgiou, Theatre Scholar, Director of the KKDIT.

The "International Symposium on Ancient Greek Drama" began in 1990 as an activity of the then Committee on Cultural Identity and Development of the International Theatre Institute, and has been organised every two years by the Department of Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the KKDIT. Hosting figures from the academic and theatre communities, it promotes dialogue between the study of ancient drama and stage practice. Its proceedings are published and constitute a research and study tool.

18th INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ANCIENT GREEK DRAMA
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026
"Konstantinos Leventis" Amphitheatre, Leventis Gallery
Information: 7000 2414
The sessions of the Symposium are open to the public with free admission,
and simultaneous interpretation will be provided
from Greek into English and from English into Greek.