Scena Theatre presents...

THE PERSIANS

by Aeschylus
adapted by Robert Auletta
directed by Robert McNamara


Photo/Artwork: Heidi Volf

The first surviving play in the history of western drama, The Persians represents a courageous act on the part of the author. The subject of Aeschylus' play was, in part, the conquering of the Persians by the Greeks, but he presented that event to his Greek audience not from their point of view, but from that of the defeated Persians. Accordingly, the Greeks were faced with a very human portrait of a people that they had only recently enslaved. The lesson of Aeschylus' play speaks just as clearly today as it did for the ancient Greeks: the enemy is always us, human beings with shared (even if slightly dissimilar) aspirations and dreams.

We are the chosen ones,
the Persians Council
left here to guard
the scared documents of our country,
while all our forces
have gone to war in Greece.

Dates: Sat., July 16, at 8pm, Sun., July 17, at 3pm, and Mon., July 18, at 8pm,
thereafter Thurs. – Sat. at 8pm, Sun. at 3pm (see full schedule)

PWYC Preview: Friday, July 15, at 8pm.

Venue: GALA Tivoli Theatre, 3333 14th Street NW, Washington DC.

Ticket prices: Friday and Saturday: $30 ($25 for students and seniors) Thursday and Sunday: $25 ($20 for students and seniors)

Box office: Click here to buy tickets online or call 703-6847990.

It is a stange time,
this early morning,
of both hope and fear,
with rumors running wild,
and the heart pounding
with terror and joy...

Cast: Kerry Waters, Brian Hemmingsen, David Bryan Jackson, Eric Lucas, Kim Curtis, Brian MacIan and Dan Awkward.

Artistic Team: Robert McNamara (director), Michael Kachman (set), Marianne Meadows (light), Alisa Mandel (costumes), David Crandall (sound), Jessica Wade (properties).