Greek Theater festival Syracuse

Old Feb 15th, 2016, 10:08 AM
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Greek Theater festival Syracuse

Has anyone experienced the Greek Theater Festival in Syracuse? We will be there during performances and I'm wondering if it's a truly great experience? We have 4 nights in Ortigia, so we do have the time. Performances start at 6:45 pm, and this would be near the end of May. Performance would be either Alcestis or Elletra.
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 11:21 AM
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I saw a modern version of Europide's Eracle staged in the Greek theater of Siracusa some years ago, and thought it breathtaking. I found something quite special about seeing a performance in that setting and would do it again in a heartbeat. YMMV. Just one tiny complaint: although there was a cushion on my seat, it was a bit thin, so it wasn't the most comfortable of seats imaginable....
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 03:51 PM
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Thanks kja, I am surprised that I can find very little information about the theater festival, when it is billed as such a big thing in Siracusa.
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 04:46 PM
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Sun dried

When I was in Siracusa and Ortigia, the season was just about to start. Unfortunately for me, I missed the beginning by just two days.

The theater itself was outfitted with special temporary staging and wooden seats where the ancient stone ones were, so I didn't get to see the entire theater as it should have been which was another disappointment.

I studied some of the Greek plays in high school so you better believe I would have gone to a performance if at all possible! I had heard of the summer productions and googled around until I found the website for tickets.

Sorry I cant remember what it was, but if you put in very specific words like Siracusa Greek theater performances, I think you will find it.

Please go and report back. I would love to hear all about it.
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 04:48 PM
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Oops sorry. It sounds like you already have the performance info. I would encourage you to go if you are interested or at all familiar with the great Greek plays!
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 09:52 PM
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Thanks Dayle, if we decide to go, I will certainly report back.
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 05:11 PM
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Is there further information that you are seeking, sundriedtopepo? If so, I can pull up my notes and see if there's anything I can add....
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 07:37 PM
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This is so interesting sundried! I think we would like to see a performance of one of the plays while we are in Siracusa and checking the calendar I see that the least expensive seats are about E53 so I'm of two minds about whether to do it. I gather the performances are in Italian and last over 2 hours.

Does anyone know if this sells out? Would it be possible to decide at the last minute? And looking at the online booking site it appears that there are unnumbered tickets at about E30. Would these be standing room?

Sorry to piggyback on your thread sundriedtopepo!
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 08:30 PM
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Not at all Shellio. Looking at the ticket website, I missed that the 30 euro seats were unnumbered, and that there are reserved seats available. So much of the info is in Italian.
I cannot think of a more sublime setting, though, even if I don't understand the dialogue.

Kja I was hoping to generate a few more comments, hopefully answering some questions that I didn't know enough to ask Thanks for bringing it to the top.

I too would like to know if it's possible to get tickets closer to the time we will be there.
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 08:37 PM
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I'm not sure I have knowledgeable answers, but I can say that I'm sure all the "better" seats were sold out in advance of the performance I attended (when tickets were lower priced than shellio quotes). I was there in May 2007. There were some empty seats in the higher reaches to the side; I can't say whether all the mid-range seats were sold out or not....

The performance I attended was not in English, but it was so well performed that I had no sense of having missed out on anything critical. (But then, how would I know? I did, at least, read up on the plot....)

Here's a bit more detail about my experience, in case it helps:

IIRC, I had reserved a "2nd" tier ticket well in advance -- I was, I think, in the first row behind the most expensive tickets and just barely (by a seat or two) off center. I got there sufficiently in advance of the performance to ensure that I could easily claim my seat. IIRC, I was given a thin cushion and playbill upon checking in.

Siracusa's Greek theater is, to be honest, not the most beautiful of those I've seen, even those I saw in Sicily -- the one in Segesta was, to my eye, the most stunning of those I saw on that island. Like Dayle, I had taken note of the staging and seat preparations while visiting during the day. (They made me curious about whether the seats would have been "just" stone during the days of the ancients, and from what I've learned, the theater would have had stone seating, but attendees would have brought their own cushions. I have no idea whether that is accurate or not!)

As the theater filled, the sun began to set, and the stage began to take prominence against the backdrop of the darkening sky. To my eye, the theater became more beautiful as the sun set, and I realized that during the middle of the day, the sun was so bright that I had difficulty appreciating the theater in 3-dimensions: There had been so few shadows that I didn't have the benefit of the visual texture that I was now able to see, even as my views were increasingly limited by attendees. For me, the theater itself took on a whole new layer of meaning as I noted this transformation. Too, the trees behind the theater's stage came into silhouette as the sun set, and with this change in lighting, I thought the setting much more attractive than it had seemed to me during the day. JMO.

And then the performance began. I was amazed by the acoustics, and of course, there are a lot of melodic elements -- or at least there was in Eracle. The staging was brilliant, the costumes glorious, the action impressive. Who needed English? Rendered in Italian or not, I found it powerful and engaging and among the best stage productions I've had the good fortune to see. (For context, I don't go to Broadway productions, and am not a regular theater-goer, but I've had my share of series subscriptions over the years.) BUT, of course, I'm sure we've all seen good and bad performances at even our favorite theaters, so I certainly can't make any predictions about what anyone else we see.

I think there was a brief mid-play intermission; as I recall, I kept my seat.

The performance, altogether, took over 2 hours (maybe closer to 2.5 hours?), and seemed to me like SO very much less time! Only when it was over did I realize that I would have welcomed a thicker seat cushion. I remember thinking that it couldn't have mattered that much if I hadn't noticed sooner! There were masses of people trying to get into one of the buses lined up to take people to their lodgings. As it was a very pleasant evening, so I opted to walk -- and stretch out certain somewhat sore parts of my body. ;-)

I am extraordinarily glad that I chose to watch a performance at a Greek temple. No matter how many dramas I've seen elsewhere, to actually see actors on the stage of a Greek theater, and especially, to hear the acoustics, was, IMO, a true privilege, and it was, for me, a highlight of my highlight-filled time in Sicily. And it's 2 or 3 hours during which pretty much everything is closed, so it isn't like you need to give up a lot for the experience.

All JMO based on an experience from many years ago. Hope it helps!
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 09:02 PM
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Posting at the same time! Hope my remarks are helpful....
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 09:49 PM
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Thanks so much kja, your remarks are extraordinarily helpful for me at least. I have a feeling we would regret not doing this since fate is putting us virtually at the entrance during the festival period.

sundried, we will be in Siracusa May 20-23. You?
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 09:54 PM
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@ shellie -- I'm glad you found my remarks helpful and hope you don't come to regret your decision. Enjoy your time in magnificent Sicily!
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 09:56 PM
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Kja very eloquent, I think you've sold me... We've seen the Theater before, and we did love it. To see a play there would really make the history live. And true, it's about dinner time when the play ends...Do you have an idea of how many people were seated for the performance?
When you say melodic elements, are you referring to there being music involved, or is it purely dialogue?
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 10:03 PM
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Shellio, we are driving in on May 23 and leaving the 27.

We did see Barber of Seville in the opera house in Palermo a few years back. That was a very nice evening, with the Palermitans dressed in their finest, and we certainly don't regret that experience.
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 10:29 PM
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I'm sorry I don't know the size of the "house" -- but it was BIG! The audience was QUITE large, as befits one of ancient Greece's largest theaters.

The performance I attended included actual music -- by the company, solos (including a remarkable woman or two -- clearly a MODERN interpretation), smaller groupings.... That said, I've attended modern performances of Greek drama elsewhere, some with only chanting. So, unfortunately, I have no idea what YOU would be able to see or hear!

I may have some other notes somewhere, but I can't imagine that they would necessarily apply to anything you might be able to see. All I can say is I am VERY glad I went!

One other note: I prefer to dine late, and had reserved a table for dinner AFTER the performance in advance. IIRC (and again, I could be wrong) others who chose to dine after the theater were less fortunate in the dining options, either finding things closed after a performance that ran a bit later than usual or finding that those restaurants that were still open had already been fully booked. Again, things could easily have changed, but if you want to eat AFTER the performance, reserving in advance, and clearly indicating that your arrival will depend on when the performance ends, might not be a bad idea!

Sorry I can't be of further assistance...
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Old Feb 17th, 2016, 10:05 AM
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Okay kja thanks for the tip on dinner reservations.
With that large of a crowd, I think we will also choose to walk home rather than wait for a bus.
Very helpful info. I know my questions are a bit random.
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Old Feb 17th, 2016, 06:20 PM
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How I envy your theater experience kja! I don't think very many visitors take advantage of this opportunity and I hope you do shellio! Imagine a once-in-a-lifetime performance in a timeless setting.

Yes, this Greek theater is huge. Imagine how it must have been during the peak of Siracusa.
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Old Feb 17th, 2016, 06:59 PM
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I actually planned the timing of my trip to make sure I would be in Siracusa for one of these performances -- and am very glad I did! It was, as Dayle says, a once-in-a-life experience. And sometimes, it's the random question that triggers a memory, so feel free to ask away, sundriedtopepo, and to jump in, shellio!
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Old Feb 17th, 2016, 07:01 PM
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P.S. I've enjoyed remembering the event, too. It's been a long time since I looked at the pictures I took that evening -- so my thanks to all of you!
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