Showing off our acting chops

Several times throughout the trip, we took time to put on little performances on the sites of famous settings of ancient Greek plays. Besides being very fun and hilarious to watch, it was a very creative way to teach us about the relationship between the ancient tragedies of the Greeks and their land. I found the plays to be so interesting, that it inspired me to write about the past and present of Greek theatre for my research paper (because, although we forgot about this sometimes, we were technically in Greece to study... but we preferred to call it a vacation where we just happened to learn a lot... until we noticed the deadline for the paper coming closer and closer lol).

The first play we put on was after we hiked atop Mt. Lykavittos. We all sat next to the Chapel of St. George and let Joe tell us the famous story of St. George. This play definitely sparked an interest among the whole group in this particular form of learning, and the pictures give a good hint as to why this was the case:

Sara as a scary dragon. RAWRRR!!!
And Kelsey as a horse. lol.

St. George (Courtney) killing the Dragon (Sara)
... I think Joe mentioned something about this being done with
the power of Christ alone, but maybe Courtney decided the
invisible sword had a better effect lol

Kelsey the horse giving a ride to St. George (Courtney) and company

The next site for our awesome plays was a deem little theatre in ancient Thorikos. Here, several members of our group put on their version of a Hymn to Demeter (with a lot of help from Joe, as was the case with all these plays). This was just as entertaining as the last play, but now was put on with the addition of props!

Kyle, Robyn, Courtney, Kimi, Molly, and Spencer acting out a scene
with the help of Joe.
*Please note how gently Metaneira, played by Spencer,
cradles her child Demaphoon, played by Joe's fanny pack.
HOW SWEET!!!

Metaneira (Spencer) giving Demeter (Courtney) her child,
Demaphoon (Joe's fanny pack), to nurse,
promising her great treasures in turn for doing so

Catherine, Liz, Dan, Andrew, Diana, and Courtney
showing off their acting chops

The final play of the trip was put on at the Temple of Brauronian Artemis. This play was definitely the most epic, as it came in the form of a trilogy! By this time, our tour guide Roula Skoula became as excited as we did about these plays. She really appreciated our interest in her people's history :)

Act I. Iphigeneia at Aulis
(Pictured: Andrew and Courtney)

Act II. Agememnon
(Pictured: Kelsey, Kyle, and Liz)

Act III: Iphigeneia at Tauris
(Picture: Kelsey, Molly, Spencer, and Joe)

 That was the last play that we all put on as a group, but I'd like to briefly mention another situation that relates to these...

DANIELLE'S MONOLOGUE AT THE THEATRE OF EPIDAURUS:

The Theatre of Epidaurus is the most well-preserved ancient theatre in Greece. But it's also known for another thing: it's AMAZING acoustics. To this day, you can stand at the very top of the cavea, or audience seating area, and perfectly hear anyone who projects their voice while in the acting area, without needing any amplification. Not only that, but somehow, the limestone that makes up the theatre also filters out low-frequency sounds, like the shifting and murmuring of those in the crowd.

The view from the top of the Theatre of Epidaurus

Learning about this theatre was really cool, but getting to witness our very own Danielle Lazarakis (Theatre major, extraordinaire) perform Phaedra’s monologue from the play Hippolytus by Euripides to give us a first-hand experience at the theatre's amazing acoustics was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Danielle, mid-performance, in the Theatre of Epidaurus
"Accursed woman! Traitress to thy friends! How hast thou ruined me! May Zeus, my ancestor, smite thee with his fiery bolt and uproot thee from thy place. Did I not foresee thy purpose, did I not bid thee keep silence on the very matter which is now my shame? But thou wouldst not be still; wherefore my fair name will not go with me to the tomb. But now I must another scheme devise. Yon youth, in the keenness of his fury, will tell his father of my sin, and the aged Pittheus of my state and fill the world with stories to my shame. Perdition seize thee and every meddling fool who by dishonest means would serve unwilling friends!"

These plays really were the icing on top of the delicious cake that was my trip to Greece. It was the perfect combination of of history, entertainment, and bonding!

Now, we just have to wait for Danielle to become a famous actress so we can say we got to see the deeply entrancing moment which was her Greek acting debut :)