Javor Gardev’s production of Euripides’ The Bacchae was staged on Friday at the ancient theatre in Dion as part of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre’s summer tour of Greece, the director said in a Facebook post. The ancient theatre of Dion is located at the foot of Mount Olympus, near the city of Katerini.

“We will have the rare opportunity to present our production at the theatre where, according to a hypothesis put forward by a group of historians, the premiere of The Bacchae took place 2,431 years ago,” Gardev wrote before the event.

The tour continues on August 30 at the Lycabettus Theatre in Athens. On September 2, The Bacchae will be staged at the Ancient Theatre of Philippi as part of the Philippi Festival in Kavala. The final announced performance of the Greek tour is scheduled for September 4 at the Gis Theatre in Thessaloniki.

The Bacchae is a Bulgarian-Greek co-production between the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the Athens Epidaurus Festival and the National Theatre of Northern Greece.

Leonid Yovchev plays Dionysus, Samuel Finzi appears as the seer Tiresias, and Alexandros Mylonas portrays Cadmus. Loukia Michalopoulou plays Agave, while Michail Tabakakis takes on the role of Pentheus.

The production features live music by the British trio The Tiger Lillies, who perform eleven songs written especially for the show.

Following its Greek tour, The Bacchae will have two Bulgarian premieres: at Plovdiv’s Ancient Theatre on September 30 and at Sofia’s National Palace of Culture (NDK) on October 9.

The tour programme and details about the production were presented at an event at the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) National Press Club in Athens.