Theatre lovers from around the world will have the opportunity to enjoy Aeschylus’ play The Persians live streamed from the ancient theatre of Epidaurus for the first time on Saturday, 25 July.

The work will be live-streamed to commemorate the 25th centennial of the battle of Salamis as part of this year’s Athens and Epidaurus Festival in collaboration with the National Theatre of Greece, with the support of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports.

It is the first time that a major ancient Greek drama production is being live-streamed and also the first time that any event is being live-streamed from Epidaurus.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that the first-ever live-streamed performance from Epidaurus is “a pivotal moment, as humanity is still challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Mr Mitsotakis continued to say that “this performance comes at a critical juncture, to underscore the universality of the principles that led to the construction of the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, a UNESCO World Heritage site, 2300 years ago. The Persians, Aeschylus’ most important anti-war play, dramatizes the naval battle of Salamis, one of the most decisive battles in the history of humanity, constantly recalling the timeless values of democracy and freedom.”

READ MORE: Local and international acts return to the Greek Festival in Athens and Epidaurus

The play will be streamed live at 21.00 Athens time  in partnership with Google Greece. It will be available worldwide except Greece, exclusively through YouTube, free of charge, but donations are welcome. All proceeds will benefit the National Theatre and Greek actors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Google will host the live streaming and provide technical support as well as a major free promotion across YouTube regarding the live streaming event.

The play is in Greek with English subtitles and lasts approximately 90 minutes. It will be streamed through livefromepidaurus.gr and will be also available at the websites of the National Theatre of Greece, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival and the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the National Theatre of Greece’s YouTube channel.