A beautiful girl walks on stage wearing a simple white dress holding a drum. Everyone hold their breath wondering what will happen next....and then...like a songbird, she sings...and the tragic story begins with the murder of Agamemnon.
By Andrea Photopoulos
Hosted by The Hellenic Heritage Institute (HHI) the Greek tragedy “Oresteia”, by Aeschylus, was performed September 24, 2010 at Le Petit Trianon Theatre in San Jose, California. Originally presented in 458 BC, this trilogy is one of the only few stories which has totally been preserved. It was directed by Leonidas Loizides, a critically acclaimed theatre and film director who established the non-profit organization “The Theatre Scheme of Leonidas Loizides” and shares his works with the world through touring. Loizides and his cast had just finished performing off Broadway in New York before they flew to California and were heading up to Portland next. The cast members, which included singer Phillippos Constantine from famous 1999 Greek boy band “ONE”, were very excited to be in California and were grateful for the opportunity.
Prior to the performance, guests were invited to the theater's beautiful outdoor patio where they enjoyed fine Hellenic cuisine catered by Dio Deka and bouzouki by Babis Kalivitis of Mythos Band. Guests were already enjoying themselves with the reception festivities and did not realize that the real treat was waiting inside. As the lights dimmed the audience was taken to an amphitheater in ancient Greece with no set, no fancy back drop, just the actors dressed in simple authentic costumes...keeping focus on the most important thing...the acting. As soon as the dialogue began we were drawn in and placed on an emotional ride...revenge, murder, pain, love and then justice.
The actors were so passionate and believable that they kept audience members on edge even though we knew what came next. When the performance ended the audience was silent as they took a second to recover from the intensity. The play was performed in Greek with English sub-titles and if you were quick enough you could read and watch, but I feel most of us chose to watch. How often do we get to experience an art dated so far back in time? Having The Leonidas Loizides Theatre group come all the way from Greece and perform for us in the States was a special occurrence and should not be missed. The Theatre group will be touring through December and will be back in California November 13th in Los Angeles. To learn more information on upcoming performances of “Oresteia by Aeschylus” visitt www.loizides.com
