The international online conference titled “The Ancient Wrath of Ares: Studies in Euripides’ Phoenician Women”, which will take place on the 17th and 18th of October 2024, will bring together leading scholars and theatre practitioners to explore the enduring themes and contemporary relevance of this classical Greek tragedy. The Conference is convened by prominent academics Professor Edith Hall (Durham University), Professor Vayos Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), and Dr. Rosie Wyles (Durham University). The Conference is supported by the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (APGRD) at the University of Oxford.
The Open University of Cyprus is represented at this conference not only by co-organizer Vayos Liapis but also by Associate Professor Antonis Petrides, who will be giving a paper on the late Nikos Charalambous’ performance of Phoenissae (2002), and by Dr. Magdalena Zira, Adjunct Faculty at the OUC Graduate Programme in Theatre Studies, who will be speaking on what Euripides’ Phoenician Women can teach us about theatre-making today.
Dr. Zira was the director of the recent production of Phoenissae by the Cyprus Theatre Organisation, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This production has in fact been the inspiration behind this Conference, and has reignited discussions on the play’s exploration of conflict, identity, and the human experience.
The conference will cover a diverse range of topics related to The Phoenician Women, including:
- Theatre-making in the 21st century.
- The play’s treatment of political conflicts.
- Its reception and adaptation across different historical periods.
- The challenges of staging ancient Greek drama in modern contexts.
A roundtable discussion on the second day of the conference will conclude the proceedings.
Programme and Information: http://www.apgrd.ox.ac.uk/events/2024/10/17-phoenician-women
The conference is open to all and will be conducted online via Zoom. To register and receive the Zoom link, please email Dr. Rosie Wyles at
