The Oxford Greek Play, one of the University of Oxford’s oldest dramatic traditions, is to perform Aeschylus’s The Furies in the original ancient Greek.
Depicting the first murder trial, The Furies “challenges the core of our legal system”. Orestes has murdered his mother Clytemnestra. In revenge, she has sent the Furies: terrifying spirits who spread poison and madness across the earth. Their vengeance is simple: kill and be killed.
But things are changing: in Athens a criminal court has been established to end this cycle of murder and Orestes is its first defendant.
The Oxford Greek Play has appeared every three years on the Oxford Playhouse stage since the 19th century. Produced and performed by students, it is a rare opportunity to see a production in ancient Greek with a projected English translation.
This production features a specially commissioned score, a set inspired by the works of Francis Bacon and Henry Moore, a new translation by the director and a young cast. Director and translator is Arabella Currie while her brother Joseph is the composer.
The Furies will be performed at Oxford Playhouse from Wednesday until Saturday, 15 to 18 October.