The Classics Drama Group at Trent University to Perform Greek Tragedy Alkestis by Euripides February 26-29

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"When Death comes near, no-one wants to die"

Wednesday, February 20, 2008, Peterborough

The Classics Drama Group at Trent University will be mounting Alkestis by Euripides as their annual production for 2008 in Nozhem: First Peoples Performance Space from February 26-29 at 8 p.m. each evening.

Alkestis is set in Thessaly, in north-central Greece. Strange things happen in Thessaly - it is a land of witchcraft and magic, where centaurs roam the landscape and a god (Apollo) can be sentenced to serve a mortal man for a years labour. Apollo’s human master, Admetos, king of Pherai, noted for his generosity and hospitality, was rewarded by the god with the gift that he need not die as long as he could find someone else to die on his behalf. Only Admetos’ wife, Alkestis, was willing to die for her husband, and the play opens on the morning of the day that she must die.

Alkestis is one of the earliest surviving works of the Greek playwright Euripides. It was first performed in 438 BC, in the fourth position where the Athenian spectators would be expecting a satyr-play, that is the humorous coda to the presentation of three serious tragedies, featuring a chorus of satyrs (half-human, half-animals). But the satyrs never appear and the Athenian audience is presumably still waiting. Is Alkestis tragedy, comedy, satyr-play, all or none of the above?

This production will be directed by Lucy Dawson and Beth Needham and performed by the Conacher Players. Tickets are $5 per person and can be reserved by contacting Kathy Axcell at (705) 748-1011, ext. 7848 or email kaxcell@trentu.ca. Nozhem is located in Peter Gzowski College at 2510 Pioneer Road on the east bank of Trent University campus.

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For further information, please contact Kathy Axcell, Department of Ancient History and Classics, at (705) 748-1011, ext. 7848.