Electra by Sophocles

International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama 2015.

The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv, after its unforgettable staging of the co-production Antigone in 2008, returns to the Festival to present Electra, a production that received rave reviews and among others the rewards: “The Israeli Theatre Prize 2015”: Best Production of the Year, the “Yosef Milo Prize” for Best Director of the Year 2014, “The Mayor of Tel Aviv Prize for Best Actress of the Year 2014” to Ola Shor Selektar for her role as Electra and Helena Yaralova as Clytaemnestra. The renowned Kfir Azoulai outlines the character of Electra and her extreme emotions: her passion for revenge, the pain caused to her by the murder of her father and the deprivation of her brother Orestes, in a setting that reflects their enclosed, frozen world, victims of their obsession for revenge, a revenge that cannot bring redemption.

▪ The performance will be surtitled in English and Greek

Plot
Agamemnon on his return from Troy was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and his cousin and her lover Aegisthus. His daughter Electra, fearing for the fate of her little brother Orestes, secretly handed him over to a faithful servant, who took him in the land of Krisa at Fokida, to the king Strofius.

After eight years, Orestes, at the instigation of the god Apollo, returns to Mycenae in order to punish his father’s killers. To achieve this, he uses a trick: he sends the tutor to the palace as foreigner, in order to announce the supposed death of Orestes, whose ashes will bring other emissaries of the king Strofius. The news causes the anguish of Electra, who vainly seeks the assistance of her sister Chrysothemis in the murder of Aegisthus. Orestes and Pylades appear on stage, as bearers of the ashes of the supposedly dead man. Electra is initially unaware of the identity of envoys, but then recognizes her brother. They plan together the vindictive act and then Orestes carries out the murder of Clytaemnestra and then Aegisthus.

The tragedy Electra represents the latest and most mature, creative period of Sophocles. In this work, Sophocles focuses on the form of Electra and her extreme emotions: her vibrating passion for revenge, the sorrow for the unjust death of her father and the deprivation of Orestes.

The history of the house of Atreides was used by all the tragedians, but the difference in the work of Sophocles is that matricide happens with the condescension of the gods and is totally vindicated.

Translation: Aharon Shabtai
Direction: Kfir Azoulai
Set/Costume design: Polina Adamov
Original music: Eldad Lidor
Music direction and arrangements: Elad Hadar
Light design: Keren Granek
Video art: Yoav Cohen
Language coach: Dan Inbar
Assistant director and research: Ido Setter
Production manager: Nava Levy, Nily Beeri
Stage manager/ Lighting – programming & operating: Eli Hadida
Sound: Nadav Bendarski
Video - programming & operating: Ohad Levitan
Wardrobe & Props: Dafna Hendeli-Itzhaki
Makeup: The entire Dept.

Cast:
Electra: Ola Shor Selektar
Orestes: Udi Rothschild
Clytemnestra: Helena Yaralova
Pedagogue: Yossi Kantz
Chrysothemis: Anastasia Fein
Aegisthus: Yigael Zachs
Chorus: Hagar Danon, Mona Mor-Markovitch, Liat Stern, Dana Vishinsky
Musician on stage: Ran Raiten (Keyboard)

Entrance: 10€ │ 5€ (Students, Senior Citizens, National Guard)
Free entrance for the persons with disabilities after proof of ID

Tickets:
- at SOEASY Kiosks in all cities,
- at TIME OUT Kiosk in Paphos,
- online at www.SoldoutTickets.com.cy