The Herodeion Theater

Saturday evening I, along with thousands of other people, made the journey out to the base of the Acropolis. Once there, I became a spectator at the Herodeion Theater, which was built into the hillside thousands of years ago as an open-air theater. Today, the theater is used to house classical performances during the Athenian summers. I was told this was an experience not to be missed while in Athens, and, boy, were they right.

Although I was told it didn’t matter what was showing at the theater, I went to see Medea, which I was familiar with after having read it in translation in Classics of Greece with Professor Merzlak in the spring. I wish I had had time to reread it before seeing it in this ancient theater, for it was entirely in Modern Greek. At times I found it extremely difficult to follow, but whenever I did catch a word that I recognized from Ancient Greek or identified Medea’s fury, I found myself smiling at how I could understand what was happening despite the language barrier.

I found the performance to be phenomenal; it held my interest despite only understanding about three spoken words. The chorus moved about and filled the stage with their presence. Their verses were beautifully rehearsed and provided a pleasant complement to the angry monologues of Medea. Overall, my experience at the theater was enjoyable and entertaining. I recommend stopping by if you are in Greece, but bring a fan- it warms up quickly with so many people!