The internationally acclaimed Greek director and teacher, Theodoros Terzopoulos, collaborates for the first time with the National Theatre of Greece and directs Aeschylus' Oresteia, the only surviving trilogy of ancient drama and also the last surviving work of the tragic poet. The trilogy will be presented for two performances at the Curium Ancient Theatre, on August 2 and 3, as part of this year's "International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama". As the Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute says in a press release, "in 458 BC, at a time of violent social and political upheaval, Aeschylus presented at the Great Dionysia (En Astei Dionysia) the Oresteia (Agamemnon, Choephori, Eumenides), the only surviving trilogy of ancient drama and his last extant work, written just two years before his death, which reflects many of the rapid changes of his era." "Aeschylus draws his material from the myth of the House of Atreus and the terrible curse on the family. The trilogy revolves around the tragic sh ort-circuiting of Orestes, which spreads to all the characters and the Chorus through successive stages: from destabilisation to impasse, to madness," the press release notes. It is further added that "after ten years of war, the Palace of Mycenae is preparing to welcome its king, Agamemnon, the triumphant general of the Greeks. But his return from Troy also means his death by the hand of his wife, Clytemnestra, with the support of Aegisthus." In Choephori (The Libation Bearers), Orestes' return will bring the revenge longed for by Electra. The Chorus rejoices at the redemption of the royal house and Orestes prepares to flee as a supplicant to Delphi to seek Apollo's protection, pursued by the Furies. The Eumenides is based on the creative telling of Attic cult myths about Orestes' flight to Athens and his trial by the gods of Olympus. Aeschylus' plot is further enriched by the establishment of the Areios Pagos (Supreme Court) on Athena's initiative and the court's involvement in breaking the curse. Balance and reconciliation put an end to the cycle of blood and revenge. Theodoros Terzopoulos aims to "dig deep into the myth of Oresteia and search for the unpredictable, the unusual and the paradox," the press release says. Source: Cyprus News Agency