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Greek theatre troupe will stop at WestConn


DANBURY, CONN. — “Troades of Euripides” (Trojan Women) is “a dark play of war and cruelty, and it is as pertinent today as it was when Euripides wrote it, about 2,500 years ago,” according to a synopsis written by Dr. Lena Hatzichronoglou, a Greek classicist. Area residents will be treated to a live performance of this enduring theatrical work when a traveling acting troupe stages a production of “Trojan Women” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, in Ives Concert Hall in White Hall on the Western Connecticut State University Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The performance will be free and the public is invited.

The actors, nearly all women, will tour the United States from September through late November, staging more than a dozen performances of Euripides’ well-known tragedy. The production opened on the Greek Island of Ios to enthusiastic reviews in August 2009. Theatre critic Andreas Mavrakakis wrote, “I stood in awe when I first set my eyes on the actors. On a small stage, the lights over the women’s bodies were giving out the war atmosphere before speech took over. … The dead-end of the war, the never-ending cycle of violence that has no winners or losers, was all out there, in front of our eyes.”

Directing the production is Leonides Loizides, who earned a degree in film directing from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Returning to his native Greece, Loizides worked in theaters in Athens and staged a series of plays ranging from ancient tragedy to contemporary pieces. This is the second consecutive year he has mounted an ambitious U.S. tour of one of Euripides’ works to bring audiences in touch with classical Greek culture and heritage.

“We believe that Greek culture must travel everywhere and seek to familiarize the globe with the civilization and values we were blessed to be raised with,” Loizides said.

Ilias Tomazos, director of the PAIDEIA Study Abroad Program affiliated with the University of Connecticut’s Center for Hellenic Studies, was instrumental in bringing the theatre troupe to the area for the first time last year, when they staged Euripides’ “Vakhes” (Bacchae).

“It’s important to invite these groups and have these plays — especially at schools with Greek studies programs,” Tomazos said. “This is a very well-known group and I’m very happy to have them perform in Connecticut again this year. After last year’s U.S. performances, there were many Greek Americans who requested that they return and I am pleased that this year they will be able to perform at WestConn.”

WestConn’s Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Dr. Linda Vaden-Goad coordinated the academic side of this performance at the university.

“This is such a great opportunity for our students, many of whom will have the chance to meet in a small group with the actors to discuss the production,” Vaden-Goad said. “Following that, all will proceed to the production together with the plan to discuss ‘Troades’ in their classes the next week. Everyone is very excited! Events like this have a special way of enhancing the curriculum.”

The performance will be funded by a grant from the foundation of industrialist and philanthropist Constantine “Deno” Macricostas and his wife Marie. Through their Macricostas Family Foundation, the couple pledged $1.1 million to the university in 2003, the largest gift in WestConn’s 104-year history. Their generosity is funding a number of new initiatives on campus, several of which are intended to promote understanding of Greek culture.

For more information, call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

 

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.