Greek Tragedy Workshop on "Redefining the Chorus" at prestigious Epidaurus Encounters Conference

Professor George Rodosthenous, Interim Head of the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds, delivered an innovative practice-based workshop at the

European Network of Research and Documentation of Performances of Ancient Greek Drama (Arc-Net) in Epidaurus, Greece. The workshop, "Redefining the Chorus: Giving the Collective an Individual Voice", took place from 5–20 July 2026 as part of the "Epidaurus Encounters" multi-event series, held at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and surrounding venues in Lygourio, Argolis.

The workshop was part of the symposium "Ancient Greek Drama and Contemporary Dramaturgy: Bridging the Gap", which brought together leading scholars and theatre practitioners from across Europe. Professor Rodosthenous's contribution focused on a persistent challenge in staging ancient Greek drama: the treatment of the chorus. Moving beyond the conventional approach of the chorus as an anonymous, homogeneous entity, his workshop proposed a counter-method that redefines each chorus member as a distinct individual with unique psychological, vocal, and physical identities.

Working with extracts from Euripides' Alcestis, Professor Rodosthenous led participants through a series of practical exercises designed to deconstruct choral odes into individual lines, assign personal backstories to each chorus member, and transform collective commentary into a dynamic interplay of conflicting perspectives. In a particularly striking innovation, he replaced traditional choral odes with verbatim material drawn from contemporary interviews on organ donation, testing how real-life testimony on sacrifice and communal responsibility could resonate with the ancient text. 

The workshop was developed in close collaboration with the National Theatre of Greece's Ninth International Ancient Drama Workshop, where nine dramaturgs worked intensively with twelve actors from the National Theatre Workshop. The collaboration bridged academic theory and professional performance practice, with participants presenting short devised choral scenes that demonstrated the transformative potential of the approach. By treating the chorus as "a room full of individuals", the workshop rediscovered the chorus as a site of radical potential, where the tension between self and community is not merely narrated but actively performed.

The invitation came from Professor Platon Mavromoustakos (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), co-founder of Arc-Net and Academic Head of the Arc-Net Summer Courses, who opened the Epidaurus Encounters programme alongside Dr Eirini Moundraki of the National Theatre of Greece. Professor Mavromoustakos also presided over the postgraduate forum, guiding the student presentations and fostering dialogue between emerging researchers and established academics throughout the sixteen-day programme. His leadership underscored the network's commitment to nurturing the next generation of scholars in ancient drama performance studies. The workshop was coordinated by Eleni Spetsioti, Alexandros Diamantis and Anthi Antoniadi.

Professor Rodosthenous was joined by a distinguished roster of international scholars and practitioners leading the Epidaurus Encounters programme. Esteemed workshop leaders included:

•  Anne Bogart, renowned theatre director and founder of the SITI Company, who delivered a master class at the Fougaro Cultural Centre in Nafplion.

•  Stefan Bläske, Dramaturg and Co-Director of Theater Bremen, who led a workshop on the "Dramaturgy of Justice: Political Theatre and Staged Tribunals".

•  Eri Kyrgia, Dramaturg for the National Theatre of Greece, who led a workshop on "Creative Re-writing".

•  Dr. Conor Hanratty, Theatre & Opera Director, who delivered a lecture on "Dreams and Laments: Greek Tragedy in Irish".

•  Professor Freddy Decreus (University of Ghent), Dr. Angeliki Poulou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Dr. Eleftheria Ioannidou (University of Groningen), Dr. Matthias Warstat (Free University of Berlin), Professor Vassilis Lambrinoudakis (National & Kapodistrian University of Athens) and other leading academics who contributed lectures, discussions, and tutorials throughout the sixteen-day programme.

The Epidaurus Encounters programme also featured a postgraduate forum, a symposium, guided tours of the Asklepieion archaeological site, special tours of the theatrical space tracing the route from dressing rooms to the stage, rehearsals, and performances of Euripides' Bacchae and Alcestis at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus.

Photo Ηλίας Καρατζούλης