Introduction
In 2001 Greek actress Irene Papas initiated the founding of a consortium of schools for the performing arts, allying three of the world’s most ancient cities, Sagunto (Spain), Rome (Italy) and Athens (Greece). The first play staged as part of this initiative was “Las Troyanas” (The Trojan Women), performed in Sagunto in September 2001.
To inaugurate the opening of the ‘Scuola di Roma’ theatre school Papas organized the staging of two plays in Rome, “Le Troiane” (The Trojan Women) and “Ecuba” (Hecuba), both based on classic tragedies by the Greek playwright Euripides. Where “Le Troiane” is in fact the same Spanish adaptation performed in Sagunto as “Las Troyanas”, “Ecuba” is an Italian adaptation of the Greek play by Euripides. In both plays Papas played the lead role of Hecuba, and Vangelis is credited for composing original music.
On the 10th of September 2003 Le Troiane and Ecuba premiered at the campus of the Tor Vergata University of Rome, featuring a unique revolving stage allowing the seating of the audience of 900 people to circle around a split stage, one half for each play. Six more performances followed the week after, and each time both plays were staged in a single performance.
Vangelis’ music can be described as appropriately dramatic, very atmospheric and non-melodic.
Although Papas had ambitious plans to open up another school in Athens and stage a third play (Agememnon by Aeschylus) during the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, this unfortunately never materialised.
Other plays that Irene Papas staged or performed in for which Vangelis provided a musical score are:
- "Electra" (1983) performed at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus (Greece)
- "Medea" (1992) performed at the Greek Theatre in Barcelona (Spain)
- “Theodora And I” (1994) performed at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens (Greece) and at the Culturgest in Lisbon (Portugal)
- "Las Troyanas" (2001) performed at the former Altos Hornos steel factory in Sagunto (Spain)
- "Antigone" (2005) performed at the Greek Theatre in Syracuse (Italy).
Irene Papas and Vangelis met in Italy in 1970, after which they became life-long friends. She contributed vocals on the Infinity-track of Aphrodite’s Child album “666” that same year and recorded two albums with Vangelis including Greek folk (Odes, 1979) and Byzantine music (Rapsodies, 1986).
Details and credits
- Title: Le Troiane ed Ecuba
- Year: 2003
- Country: Italy
- Length: 80 minutes each play.
- Directed by Irene Papas, Jürgen Müller / La Fura dels Baus (Le Troiane)
- Directed by Giuliana Berlinguer (Ecuba)
- Written by Euripdes.
- Italian adaptation “Ecuba” by Salvatore Quasimodo.
- Scenography: Santiago Calatrava
- Music by Vangelis.
- Costume design: Marina Karella
- Photography: Marco Carosi
- Choreography: Aurelio Gatti
- Musical direction: Joan Cerveró (Le Troiane)
- Musical direction: Stefano Marcuccio (Ecuba)
- Stage design: Manos Perakis
Cast - Le Troiane
- Irene Papas - Hecuba
- Carles Figols - Talthybius
- Rosana Pastor - Cassandra
- Mónica López - Andromache
- Manuel de Blas - Menelaus
- Mía Esteve - Helen
- Chorus: Amparo Fernández, Ata Gomis, Pepa Juan, Lola López, Cristina Plazas and Consol Soler.
Cast - Ecuba
- Irene Papas - Hecuba
- Cristina Spina - Polissena
- Armando De Ceccon - Ulysses
- Luca Biagini - Taltybius
- Tiziana Bagatella - Handmaid
- Paolo Cosenza - Agamemnon
- Maurizio Donadoni - Polymestore
- Chorus: Cristina Faessler, Elena Fanucci, Cristina Ciordana, Alessandra Raichi, Pamela Toscano, Caterina Venturini.
Performances
- Premiere: 10th of September 2003 (21:00)
- Repeats: September 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18th 2003.
Media
Although the performance of “Le Troiane ed Ecuba” was recorded on video, this recording was never officially released. Director Giuliana Berlinguer made the film “Ecuba” together with Irene Papas about the performance of the play, but this film was never seen again after its screening at the Taormina film festival in June 2005.
Links
Gallery
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