The 64th edition of the Mérida International Classical Theatre Festival, organised and directed for the seventh year running by Jesús Cimarro through the company Pentación Espectáculos, and which will be held from 29 June to 26 August, presents eight plays and a Spanish dance show against the impressive backdrop of the Roman Theatre.
Under the watchful eye of the goddess Ceres, on stage we will see gods and monsters in Nerón, by Eduardo Galán; Esquilo, nacimiento y muerte de la tragedia, by El Brujo; Ben-Hur, by Yllana;Filoctetes, by Sophocles, in a version by Jordi Casanovas and Antonio Simón; Fedra, by Paco Bezerra; Las amazonas, based on Von Kleist’s Penthesilea; La comedia del fantasma, by Plautus Hipólito, by Euripides, the last two, in co-production with Extremadura companies.
In this edition we highlight the start of the festival with three performances Electra, by Ballet Nacional de España, directed by Antonio Najarro with dramaturgy by Alberto Conejero and the musical accompaniment of Orquesta de Extremadura. We must also mention the premiere of Ben-Hur, by Yllana, and Nerón, featuring Raúl Arévalo as the crazy emperor, two theatrical adaptations of two classic films alive in the audience’s minds.
And, finally, noteworthy too is the consolidation of the three other official festival venues:Medellín, Regina and Cáparra, and the unofficial ones of festival Off at the Temple of Diana, the Forum Portico, Pontezuelas Thermae and in Plaza de los Naranjos. This year, the Festival exceptionally extends its influence as far as Tarragona, in June, on the occasion of the 2018 Mediterranean Games, which will project the cultural activities of the Mérida International Classical Theatre Festival worldwide.
Not recommended for children under the age of 7 years.