Epidavros

We went to see Agamemnon at Epidavaros. It really is an incredible experience.  We walked the site from 6:30-8, then came out to grab a quick bite, as the play started at 9.  We got to our seats at about 8:15, and watched the theater fill and the sun set.

Watching the sunset before the play begins

The theater in the afternoon, when it was an archaeological site

The theater as it began to fill up.  It filled up much more when the play began. 

Our group.

The play was a very traditional production with very little action. They did not use mics; you can just hear them, even up in the cheap seats.  They had supertitles to the sides in both Greek and English so it was easy to follow the dialogue.  There didn't seem to be a lot of political jokes (mostly I've seen comedies before).  They seemed to play it straight.

The logistics were amazing.  Phil said that the theater in ancient times seated about 14,000.  Where on earth did 14,000 people come from? Where did they stay after the play? The accommodation building that has been excavated held about 160.  How far did people travel?  Today, the season is every weekend a new play for a 2-day run.  We estimated that there might be 9000-10000 people there.  With buses and cars, it took us an hour to leave the parking lot, and another 45 minutes to drive to Naphlion, so we got back at about 1:30.  As we were leaving we drove past some restaurants filled to the brim with theater-goers starting their dinners after midnight.