Greek authorities to restore ancient Athens theater where classical plays were first performed

[June Samaras]

Greek authorities to restore ancient Athens theater where classical
plays were first performed
By AP
November 25th, 2009

http://blog.taragana.com/e/2009/11/25/greek-authorities-to-restore-ancient-athens-theater-where-classical-plays-were-first-performed-64473/

Greece to restore birthplace of classical theater

ATHENS, Greece — The ruined theater under the Acropolis where the
works of Euripides and other classical
playwrights were first performed some 2,500 years ago will undergo
partial restoration over the next six years,
Greek officials said Wednesday .

The euro6 million ($9 million) program is set for completion by 2015
and will include extensive modern
additions to the surviving stone seats of the Theater of Dionysos.

But is unlikely that the site will host modern audiences any time soon.

Standing on the southern slopes of the Acropolis Hill, the theater was
first used in the late 6th century B.C.
It saw the opening performances of tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles
and Euripides, as well as
Aristophanes’ comedies — considered the precursors of western theater.

“The Theater of Dionysos … is of immense historic significance, as it
is here that the masterpieces of
ancient drama were first performed,” said architect Constantinos
Boletis, the project leader.

Theater first emerged as an art form in late 6th century B.C. Athens,
where playwrights competed for a
prize during the annual festival of Dionysos — the ancient god of
theater and wine in whose cult the art originated.

Originally a terrace where spectators sat on the bare earth above a
circular stage, the Theater of Dionysos
was rebuilt in limestone and marble during the 4th century B.C. and
modified in Hellenistic and Roman times

A small section of the stone seating — which could hold up to 15,000
spectators — survives. Restorers will
gradually add several tiers, using a combination of new stone and
recovered ancient fragments, while
strengthening retaining walls and other parts of the building.

“The program will have a major impact on the overall aspect of the
monument,” Boletis told a press conference.

A decades-long project is already under way to conserve and restore
the ancient marble temples on the Acropolis,
which includes the complete disassembly and rebuilding of the 5th
century B.C. Temple of Athena Nike.

The Dionysos project will be funded by a grant from Athens regional
authorities, in cooperation with the Diazoma
nonprofit foundation for the protection of the estimated 140 ancient
theaters and concert halls that survive throughout Greece.

Following extensive restoration over the past century, some now host
summer music and theatrical performances.

But there appears little prospect of that happening at the Theater of
Dionysos, despite initial plans after its
excavation in the 19th century. “The idea … was finally abandoned in
the mid 1970s,” Boletis said.

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June Samaras
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