Fairfield Ampitheatre
1 sound
This amphitheatre was built in 1984-5 for the Epidavros Summer Festival, a series of bilingual (Greek-English) productions of Classical Greek plays such as Medea, Lysistrata, and Antigone driven by the passion of Greek-Australians for Greek history and culture. It’s modelled on one of the places those plays were originally performed – the ancient amphitheatre at Epidavros (late 4th century BC).
Fittingly, the Epidavros (or Epidauros) ampitheatre was dedicated to Asclepius – the god of healing and medicine. Art and healing were closely linked in the Greek pantheon – the other Greek god of medicine is Apollo, who was also the god of theatre.
Melbourne remains a major centre of the global Greek diaspora.
Image: ”Outstanding cast in special series of Greek classics”, The Canberra Times, Mon 27 Feb 1984.
Music: 'Mother Send the Doctors Away’, a 11940s Greek song in the Rebetika style, written by Steliou Hrisinis, performed by Melbourne group Apodimi Compania in 1986. The song tells of a man with tuberculosis, a common disease in Greece at the time, who is resigned to his death – he believes doctors can be of no further use to him. Learn more at Australian Screen Online
