The city of Elefsina postponed the opening concert for the 2021 Aeschylian Festival, in solidarity with its neighboring township, Mandra-Idilia, where a fire that broke out on Monday was placed under partial control as of Thursday.
In a statement on Friday, Elefsina city officials said that the concert with Fotini Darra and Giorgos Papachristoudis is rescheduled for Wednesday, August 25. The free passes will be still usable on that date.
The concert of Sokratis Malamas scheduled for August 23 will also be rescheduled.
An exhibit of outdoor art, “Behind the Theater” by Andreas Lolis, will open to the public on August 25.
The Festival highlights include a sculpture show by Andreas Lolis and a dance performance by Omma and dancer/choreographer Josef Nadj.
The projects by Lolis and Nadj are part of the city’s contribution to its upcoming designation as “Cultural Capital of Europe” for 2023.
Lolis, who specializes in marble sculpting, uses the theme of a salvage excavation to set up eight marble works in the area behind the theater of the Old Oil Factory (Paleo Eleourgio). The pieces express aspects of the city’s history, which goes back to Ancient Eleusis, home of Demeter’s Mysteries, and he hopes they will become a permanent exhibit.
France-based Nadj, well-known and loved by the Greek public, will bring eight dancers to the stage from Mali, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Burkina faso, Congo-Brazaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo, forming a single body on the theme of “our ability to see what is before us, so we may be able to see better what lies deep within us, in a common fate”.
The Aeschylia will also include seven concerts with well-known Greek singers like Fotini Darra, Dimitra Galani, Natassa Bofiliou and Yiannis Kotsiras, as well as eight plays, most based on ancient tragedies.
“Art has a surface that is visible and one that is deeply hidden,” general artistic director for Elefsina 2023 Michalis Marmarinos said. “This is like Elefsina. If you visit, you will meet secret aspects of it from which you won’t disengage easily.” He added that the festival’s uniqueness lies in presenting original art works.