The Athens Epidaurus Festival expands its horizons of extroversion by looking towards Asia, a continent where Greece has so far not had strong cultural exchanges in the field of contemporary culture. In this context, the Artistic Director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival Katerina Evangelatou and the General Director Ioannis Kaplanis participated in October as guest speakers in important events for the performing arts in Korea and China, where they had the opportunity to present the history and activities of the Festival as well as their proposals for cooperation with these two countries.

Invited to the 2024 Performing Arts Market Seoul, the largest international market for the performing arts in Korea, Katerina Evangelatou gave the opening address together with the Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea Yong Ho Sung.

Mrs Evangelatou presented grape – Greek Agora of Performance, the Greek “Agora” for the promotion and promotion of Greek performing arts abroad. “The Agora in antiquity was an important place of meeting, dialogue and free exchange of views. For us it is important for such platforms to preserve something of the essence of the ancient Agora and not to be places of commercial transactions.”

In Seoul, Ms Evangelatou had important working meetings with representatives of cultural institutions from Asia, Australia, North and South America, Canada and Europe.

She then visited Shanghai, invited by the China Shanghai International Performing Arts Festival, which hosted the International Urban Culture Dialogue 2024, where she was among the keynote speakers at the opening event.

“Our mission”, she pointed out, “is to bring the Festival’s audience in contact with leading artists from all over the world and at the same time to familiarize the audience with new, bold approaches to Ancient Drama, which is our classical tradition”.

She also referred to the cultural ties between Greece and China and the ways in which these ties can be further developed through the creation of joint artistic productions, residencies and masterclasses, activities that also promote cultural diplomacy.

Ms Evangelatou added that art also contributes to urban development, bringing as an example 260 Piraeus Street, where the Festival created a vibrant pole of artistic expression that upgraded the whole area.

The last stop of Katerina Evangelatou’s visit to Asia was the Wuzhen Theatre Festival 2024.

The General Director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival Ioannis Kaplanis visited China as a guest speaker at the opening ceremony of the 23rd China Shanghai International Arts Festival. Mr. Kaplanis focused on the role that arts and festivals can play in creating bridges in a world constantly challenged by wars, inequalities and climate change, while he presented the developmental footprint of the Athens Epidaurus Festival through the use of the triptych New Technologies – Sustainability – Accessibility.

Referring to the extroversion of the Festival through international collaborations and participation in innovative research programmes of the European Union, such as Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe, Mr Kaplanis said:

“We work with theatres, cultural and scientific institutions from all over Europe. Our aim is to create a dynamic network that promotes cultural exchange, and bridges the arts with innovation, technology, accessibility and sustainability. These initiatives provide access to funding sources and contribute to the Festival’s international visibility, enhancing its impact.”

The General Director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival presented the axes of the Festival’s green policy for the reduction of its environmental “footprint”, such as the strengthening of recycling, the reuse of materials in creative ways, as well as the awareness of the public on these issues.

He also highlighted the ways in which the Athens Epidaurus Festival aims to empower communities and individual vulnerable people, giving examples of partnerships and practices to serve people with disabilities and increase accessibility to its venues and performances.

“Looking ahead to our upcoming 70th anniversary year, our main concern”, Mr. Kaplanis said, closing his speech, “is for the Athens Epidaurus Festival to continue its contribution to our land as an open, inclusive, green, accessible to all”.

In the framework of their official meetings in Shanghai, Mr.Evaggelatou and Mr.Kaplanis had the opportunity to exchange ideas and views with the President of the China Shanghai International Performing Arts Festival, Li Ming and the Vice President, Tang Yingqi, actively promoting cultural exchange and strengthening the network of relations between Greece and China.