Ancient Drama and Contemporary World Drama
Ancient tragedy sets a dialogue with contemporary crises
An innovative series of events by the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation
Theatrical performances, art exhibition, workshops, forum, webinars
From September 17 to 21, 2025
In collaboration with the University of Sao Paulo
Ancient Greek tragedy returns to the forefront with an unexpectedly timely role, through the theme “Ancient Tragedy in the Anthropocene Era,” a multi-day cultural and scientific event to be held from September 17 to 21, 2025, at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Focusing on ancient drama, the program aims to shed light on the major challenges of the modern world: war, migration, and ecological disruption. At a time when the concepts of crisis, loss, and the search for identity are once again pressing issues, ancient theater emerges as a global tool for understanding and dialogue.
The public will have the opportunity to attend an art exhibition, performances, and a series of workshops, hybrid seminars, and an international forum, with the participation of artists, academics, researchers, and young creators from Greece, Brazil, and Scandinavia.
As Ana Wegner, professor at the University of Sao Paulo and coordinator of the academic part of the project- with Rafaella Uhiara, professor at the University of Sao Paulo and Filippo Fabri, associate professor at the University Paris-Saclay, states, “through this series of events, we aim to examine how we shape and inhabit the world today. Our goal is to reposition humans within a complex network of relationships: with nature, animals, materials, elements, science, technology, and the universe.”
This project brings together three geographical areas—Greece, Brazil, and Scandinavia—where extreme seasons (heat/cold) shape landscapes, bodies, and cultures. Each of these regions has a vital relationship with the sea: the Mediterranean, the South Atlantic, the northern seas, and the fjords. How do humans, through their actions and perceptions, influence these landscapes? Can the particular characteristics of these geographies lead us to new ways of reading and interpreting ancient tragedy?
Through an interdisciplinary approach, researchers from all three regions attempt to capture the evolution of soundscapes: the sound of waves, the songs of animals, the silence of glaciers, the noise of cities, and the new anthropogenic sound reactions created by the integration of technology. These sounds compose an invisible dramaturgy that connects places, seasons, and species. Seminars, workshops, and forums explore these relationships through a multisensory sound experience, inviting us to rethink our perception of the universe—both individually and collectively.
Atossa, what are you dreaming about?
Art Exhibition from September 12 to 25, 2025
Aeschylus’ anti-war tragedy “The Persians,” the oldest surviving play in the world, is the source of inspiration for the 28 artists participating in the exhibition “Atossa, what are you dreaming about?” organized by the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, with free admission, from September 12 to 25, 2025, as part of the program “Ancient Drama: Interdisciplinary-Intercultural Approaches.”
The universal fate of war, the suffering that follows and befalls victors and vanquished alike, man’s responsibility for his actions towards the community and nature, depictions of different aspects of defeat and mourning, the arrogance and disharmony inherent in authoritarian and imperialist power, and hubris as a consequence are some of the themes addressed in tragedy. The participating artists attempt to capture their creations in contemporary crises, following the theme of the program “Ancient Tragedy in the Anthropocene, Ancient Drama and Contemporary World Drama.”
The exhibition opens on Friday, September 12, at 19.00 and will run until September 25, 2025.
Prometheus Cancelled
Performance on September 19-20-21, 2025
Inspired by the Greek myth of Prometheus and highly topical, the theatrical performance Prometheus Cancelled, presented at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation on September 19-20 and 21, 2025, at 20.00 p.m., with free admission, invites the audience to reflect on the ambiguity of knowledge. The successful theater group Trupe Pé na Arte, of the School of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities (EACH) at the University of São Paulo, known for its groundbreaking perspective, comes from Brazil with a subversive and interesting performance presented exclusively at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation for three days only.
How would we interpret Prometheus’ act of stealing fire and offering it to humans today? If the fire offered to mortals is interpreted as scientific and technological enlightenment, how would Prometheus’ gesture be judged in today’s context, where concerns about post-colonial cultural and ideological domination and the rise of cancel culture prevail?
All activities are carried out within the framework of the Action “Establishment and Promotion of International Institutions of Contemporary Culture in Attica,” with the theme “Ancient Drama: Interdisciplinary Intercultural Approaches,” co-funded by the European Union – European Regional Development Fund, through the Regional Program “Attica,” within the framework of the NSRF 2021-2027.
The Michael Cacoyannis Foundation’s Ancient Drama Festival, now in its 13th year, will take place from September 17-21, 2025, as part of the Action “Establishment and Promotion of International Institutions of Contemporary Culture in Attica.” The Action is co-financed by the European Union – European Regional Development Fund, through the Regional Program “Attica” within the framework of the 2021-2027.
PROGRAM
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• Art Exhibition: “Atossa, what are you dreaming about?”
Friday, September 12, 2025 Opening
Exhibition Duration September 12-25, 2025
• Online Seminars: “Climate, Myth, and Tragedy: Intercultural Dialogues in the Anthropocene Era”
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, September 17, 18, and 19, 2025
• Workshops “Echoes of Ecosystems: Reinventing the Anthropocene through sensory experience and artistic expression, from Greek tragedy to the modern world”
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, September 17, 18, and 19, 2025
• International Forum: “Ancient Tragedy and the Anthropocene: Ancient Drama and Contemporary World Drama”
Saturday, September 20, 2025
• Performance: Prometheus Cancelled
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, September 19, 20, and 21, 2025
ADMISSION IS FREE TO ALL EVENTS
