Of Real and Mythic Places : Performing In Archaeological Sites in the Argolid

Abstract

This paper is an account of my creative experience in mounting the site-specific devised play Journeys of Water (Five Myths form the Ancient Argolid) in the archaeological sites of Ancient Mycenae, Ancient Tiryns and the Sanctuary of Asclepius, in Epidaurus. This project was a collective creation by the multicultural Okypus Theatre Company and took place around the Argolid area, in May 2012.
In Journeys of Water -a dramatisation of local ancient myths related to water and the site-specificity of both the natural and the architectural environment of the local archaeological sites became central to the creative process. The need to make use of the region’s renowned historical heritage provided the company with an outstanding material that shaped this theatrical creation. Hence, all the theatrical components (dramaturgy, mise en scène, musical creation, scenographic concept and the interaction with the audience) derived from the selection of these sites, which were finally used as the actual performance spaces. Materially and symbolically separated from urban and daily life, the archaeological sites became a vast stage, radiating the very special energy from the traverse of mythical, historical, sociopolitical and cultural stories through time.