About This Event
What can the dramas produced in democratic Athens tell us about resilience in the face of the timeless emotional problems that humans face? Professor Edith Hall, author of Greek Tragedy: Suffering under the Sun (2010), and Natalie Haynes, bestselling author and writer, will lead us through some of the most searing tragedies, including Agamemnon, Medea and Antigone, to reveal the profound ancient answers to dilemmas and tragic situations such as bereavement we still face today–conflict between women and men, parents and children, siblings and fellow citizens. Interactive illustrated lectures will be complemented by visits to theatre-related sites and museums across Corinth and the Argolis – the county with the highest number of ancient monuments in the world – and culminate in a performance at the magnificent ancient theatre of Epidauros.
We will also be joined by the incredible guide Ioanna Kalypso Glypti.
About the retreat leaders
Edith Hall holds a Chair in Classics at Durham University. She has previously taught at Oxford, Cambridge, Reading and London Universities as well as lecturing across four continents. She is a regular broadcaster on BBC television and radio, acts as consultant to professional theatres including the National Theatre in London, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the Epidauros Festival. She was the first woman to be awarded the Erasmus Prize of the European Academy, is a Fellow of the British Academy and holds honorary doctorates from Durham and Athens Universities. The more than thirty books she has published include eight on ancient Greek and Roman theatre and their continuing influence today.
Natalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster and – according to the Washington Post – a rock star mythologist. Her first novel, The Amber Fury, was published to great acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, as was The Ancient Guide to Modern Life, her previous book. Her second novel, The Children of Jocasta, was published in 2017. Her retelling of the Trojan War, A Thousand Ships, was published in 2019. It was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020. It has been translated into multiple languages. Her most recent non-fiction book, Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myth was published in Oct 2020, and Margaret Atwood liked it.
She has spoken on the modern relevance of the classical world on three continents, from Cambridge to Chicago to Auckland. She writes for the Guardian. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4: reviewing for Front Row and Saturday Review, appearing as a team captain on three seasons of Wordaholics, and banging on about Juvenal whenever she gets the chance. Six series of her show, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, have been broadcast on Radio 4: all series are available now on BBC Sounds.
Ioanna Kalypso Glypti: “My introduction to Greece, as an Alexandrian Greek, took place when I was a child, but one of many tongues and continents. The Greek islands were my summers, bathed by the phosphorescent blazing light on a white wall, the austere rocks, the dramatic mountains and the incandescence of the blue sky pouring into the sea. Under that light and the songs of Leonard Cohen, nostalgia took hold of me, as like the ship of Ulysses Nostos I began to learn how to word my emotions in this ancient tongue. This was a voyage into the light as I managed to escape my personal darkness and the various Labyrinths of my subconscious mind. In fact, I was finding a way to freedom through words.
Freedom, or Eleutheria, in my tongue means she who walks freely towards what she or he loves and brings love to his or her soul, because the chains are many and not always tangible, and so able to be escaped from.
In this moment I realized that my tongue embodied my spiritual essence. It is not surprising that everything here in Greece speaks now just as it has for centuries making everything clear -without being known. It is this clarity that I return to within me to understand what is unknown as we go through these difficult times. As I write the word clarity, everything becomes translucent like the morning dawn as the ancient God Apollo with his chariot announces the arrival of light.“
About the location
Epidavros, 30km east of Nafplio, was famed and revered across the Mediterranean as a place of miraculous healing. Visitors came great distances to the tranquil Sanctuary of Ascplipius, the god of medicine, to seek a cure for their ailments. Today the World Heritage Site’s amazingly well-preserved theatre remains a venue during the Athens & Epidavros Festival for Classical Greek plays, first performed here over 2300 years ago.
Daily Schedule
3:00 pm: Check-in at “Amphitryon Hotel”
7:30 pm: Welcome Community Dinner & Start of the Retreat
(Location: Amimoni Restaurant, Nafplia Palace)
Day 2 – July 12TH
7:30 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast at “Circle Restaurant”
9:00 am – 10:30am: Lecture with Edith Hall
(Location: Palamidis meeting room, Amphitryon Hotel)
Activity: 10:30 am – 4:30 pm: Guided Tour in Mycenae & Wine Tasting
10:30 am: Pick-up from Amphitryon Hotel to Mycenae Archaeological Site
(Meeting point: reception of Amphitryon Hotel)
11:15 am – 1:15 pm: Guided Tour in Mycenae Archaeological Site
1:15 pm: Pick-up from Mycenae Archaeological Site to Domaine Skouras
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Wine Tasting Experience
3:45 pm: Pick-up from Domaine Skouras to Amphitryon Hotel
4:30 pm: Arrival at Amphitryon Hotel
4:30 pm – 7:30pm: Free Time
8:00 pm: Community Dinner at “To Omorfo Tavernaki”
Day 3: July 13th
7:30 am – 8:30 am: Breakfast at “Circle Restaurant”
8:30 am – 10:00 am: Lecture with Edith Hall
(Location: Palamidis meeting room, Amphitryon Hotel)
Activity: 10:00 am – End of Rehearsal: Full Day at Epidaurus & Dinner & General Rehearsal
10:00 am: Pick-up from Amphitryon Hotel to Epidaurus
(Meeting point: reception of Amphitryon Hotel)
11:00 am – 5:30 pm: Guided Tour in Epidaurus Ancient Theatre/Lecture with Ioanna
Kalipso Glypti/Visit to Excavation Site
5:30 pm: Pick-up from Epidaurus to “Akrogiali” Taverna
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Early Community Dinner at “Akrogiali”
8:00 pm: Transfer from “Akrogiali” to the Little Theatre of Epidaurus
8:15 pm: Discussion with the Director of the Little Theatre of Epidaurus
9:00 pm: Attend General Rehearsal at the Little Theatre of Epidaurus
End of the General Rehearsal : Pick-up from the Little Theatre of Epidaurus to Amphitryon Hotel
Day 4: July 14th
7:30 am – 8:30 am: Breakfast at “Circle Restaurant”
9:00 am – 11:00 am: Morning Lecture with Edith Hall & Natalie Haynes
(Location: outdoor little theatre near Amphitryon Hotel)
11:00 am – 5:15 pm: Free Time to Explore Nafplio
Activity: 5:15 pm - End of the Performance: Early Community Dinner and Performance Night at Epidaurus
5:15 pm: Pick-up from Amphitryon Hotel to “Leonidas Restaurant”
(Meeting point: reception of Amphitryon Hotel)
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Early Community Dinner at the famous “Leonidas Restaurant”
7:30 pm: Pick-up from “Leonidas Restaurant” to Epidaurus Theater
9:00 pm - End of Performance: Performance Night at Epidaurus Ancient Theatre
End of performance: Pick-up from the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus to Amphitryon Hotel
Day 5: July 15th
7:30 am – 8:15 am: Breakfast at “Circle Restaurant”
Optional Activity: 8:30 am – 2:00 pm: Guided Tour in Corinth
8:30 am: Pick-up from Amphitryon Hotel to Corinth
(Meeting point: reception of Amphitryon Hotel)
9:30 am – 11:30 am: Guided Tour in Corinth
11:30 am – 1:00 pm: Lecture with Edith Hall
1:00 pm: Pick-up from Corinth to Amphitryon Hotel
2:00 pm: Arrival at Amphitryon Hotel
2:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Free time
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Early Community Dinner
(Location: Circle Restaurant, Amphitryon Hotel)
Optional Activity: 8:00 pm - End of performance: Performance at the Little Theatre of Epidaurus
8:00 pm: Pick-up from Amphitryon Hotel to the Little Theatre of Epidaurus
(Meeting point: reception of Amphitryon Hotel)
9:30 pm: Performance at the Little Theatre of Epidaurus
End of the performance: Pick-up from Little Theatre of Epidaurus to Amphitryon Hotel
Day 6: July 16th
7:30 am – 10:30 am: Breakfast at “Circle Restaurant”
11:00 am: Check-out from Amphitryon Hotel & Nafplia Palace
Start your
journey
Event Highlights
5-night accommodation in Nafplia Palace Hotel & Villas and Amphitryon Hotel
All sessions/lectures
All activities
Breakfast meals
Dinner meals
Prices
2890€/per person
in Double Occ. room
Prices
3950€/per person
in Single Occ. room
what’s included
- 5-night accommodation in Nafplia Palace Hotel & Villas and Amphitryon Hotel
- All sessions/lectures
- All activities
- Breakfast meals
- Dinner meals
what’s not included
- Airtickets to/from Greece and Athens and transfer to/from Argolis – We strongly advise you to book flexible airfare tickets
- Accommodation Tax / room / night payble by the guests directly to the hotel
- Airport and Land Transfers
- Soft drinks, beverages
- Lunch meals
- Whatever is not mentioned clearly in the inclusions
more info
We strongly advise you to book flexible airfare tickets
Language: English
Land Transfer: Available upon request
Cancellation Policy: Deposit amount is non-refundable | Should you wish to cancel your participation one month or less before the start of the retreat, 100% of cancellation fees are applied.
Important Info: In case there are Covid-19 restrictions or restrictions related to any other pandemic that prevent guests from traveling the total amount paid will be refunded.
Dietary Needs: Should you have any special dietary need/allergy, kindly let us know in advance in order to be able to better accommodate you in the best possible way.
Transport: For Edith’s retreat in Epidavros / Argolis, you can fly into Athens International Airport (ATH). From there, you can book a transfer to the hotel.
