Celebrating its eleventh season, Stanford Summer Theater (SST) presents The Electra Festival, an exploration through theater and film of one of the great mythic heroines. Electra's story—and the saga of the house of Atreus, the Trojan War, and its aftermath—have inspired playwrights, novelists, composers, film directors, and thinkers over the centuries. The Electra Festival allows us to trace the influence of this classic myth from ancient Athens to the contemporary world.
The Electra Festival also includes fully staged readings of two earlier versions of the story, Aeschylus' devastating Libation Bearers and Euripides' strangely contemporary Electra. Using translations designed specifically for performance, these staged readings invite us into the wider world of fifth-century Athens and its fascination with revenge and justice in the aftermath of the Trojan War. A discussion led by Stanford Classics Professor Marsh McCall follows each performance.
Performance Schedule:
Libation Bearers: Wednesday, August 5, 7:00 pm
Electra: Wednesday, August 12, 7:00 pm
Pigott Theater, behind Memorial Auditorium
Sponsored by Stanford Continuing Studies, Stanford Classics and Drama Departments, the School of Humanities & Sciences, the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts.