The National Theatre has announced a new, free exhibition titled The Greeks: Radical Reinvention, opening 9 September in the Wolfson Gallery.
Timed to coincide with Bacchae, Indhu Rubasingham’s inaugural production as Director of the National Theatre, the exhibition explores the enduring relevance of Greek tragedy.
Audiences will journey through past reimaginings of Greek plays staged at the National Theatre, including Paradise (2021), Medea (2014), Antigone (2012), Iphigenia at Aulis (2004), and The Oresteia (1981).
Set against the architecture of the Olivier Theatre, inspired by the open-air theatre of Epidaurus, the exhibition highlights four key elements of ancient drama: sound, space, dance, and community.
Visitors can expect costume designs, rehearsal footage, model boxes, listening stations, and digital screens, offering a behind-the-scenes look at landmark productions.
Curated by Dr Lucy Jackson of Durham University, the exhibition is a collaboration with the National Theatre Archive and supported by Durham University.
Dr Lucy Jackson said, “We might not think that plays written over two and a half thousand years ago can ask really pointed questions about the way we live now. But they do! The politics of music, the rights of refugees, the dirty deals that start and end wars… This exhibition uses the National Theatre Archive to go behind the scenes of the creative process in getting these old plays into shape for modern audiences, and explores aspects of ancient and modern theatre-making side by side. We hope people will find out how disruptive and radical you can be in making a new version of a Greek tragedy while staying true to the spirit of the genre.”
The exhibition will run through early 2026 and is also available digitally via the Bloomberg Connects app, which includes accessibility features such as voice over, captions, and image zoom.
Located between Lasdun Restaurant and the Olivier Stalls level, the Wolfson Gallery is open to all visitors.
More information can be found here
