Culture and the environment on agenda at Delphi

The annual think-fest will start on July 4

Delphi’s annual think-fest starts on July 4 with a symposium on culture and the environment.

The agenda is leaner this year – the result of funding shortages – but still offers substantial fare.

Niki Goulandris, the president of the Goulandris Natural History Museum, will start the proceedings after the official opening on Friday, July 4, with a talk on “Man in Nature.”

Over the course of the weekend, other speakers will address issues such as water and soil protection, biodiversity, climate change, promoting sustainable development in Greece, environmental education in Greece and the state of the country’s cultural heritage.

Drama always plays a central role in the Delphi event, with performances in the outdoor Frynichos Theater. The National Theater will premiere its production of Aristophanes’ “Frogs,” directed by Dimitris Lignadis, on Friday, and Elli Paspala and the Apodrasi group will debut their “Ode to Nature” on July 5.

Wlodzimierz Staniewski based his “Iphigenia in A,” on Euripides’ “Iphigenia in Aulis.” He will direct the former in a performance by the actors from his Gardzienice theater center.

Staniewski and other directors, including Lee Breuer, will lead workshops for young actors at the Delphi Center from July 7-12.

This year’s exhibition, “A. Mayo: A Greek in Paris,” is one of the events organized by Greece in honor of France’s presidency of the European Union. Before the exhibition opens on July 12, French and Greek academics and art historians will meet to discuss the postwar generation of Greek artists in Paris.