A new festival, celebrating the theatrical tradition in the Balkan countries, will be inaugurated this summer, and begin officially in 2023.

The Interbalkan Festival of Ancient Drama, initiated by Attica region officials, aims to inspire the collaboration of artists, theater institutions and performance groups from around the Balkan countries, and bring people together during an annual, free event. Traditional institutions are expected to partake along with new artistic endeavors, to create a meeting between classical theater and new dramaturgical and aesthetic forms.

“Inside the long-suffering landscape of the Balkans, where people have gone and still go through contemporary tragedies, Ancient Drama with its humanitarian, global and healing aspects, has the power to bring to light our kin traditions and, through a powerful artistic encounter, turn the tide towards the deep and honest friendship among the peoples,” an announcement for the festival reads.

An open call has already been announced for proposals concerning the artistic programming of the festival’s first installment, in the summer of 2023. Artists from Greece and the other Balkan countries may submit their proposals online at [email protected] until the 30th of December 2022, and selected artists and groups will be notified until the 6th of March 2023.

The festival will be inaugurated with a conference titled “Ancient Drama as a Continuous Source of Inspiration and Creation,” bringing together important representatives of theatre in the Balkans on July 25th-26th at the Theatre of Attiko Alsos “Katina Paxinou,” which will also be the venue for the festival in 2023.

It will feature talks and discussions on the 25th, and a performance of “The Suppliants,” translated and directed by Dimos Avdeliodis, on the 26th.