Cambridge Greek Play

Ancient Greek-language play series

The Cambridge Greek Play is a play performed in Ancient Greek by students and alumni of the University of Cambridge, England. The event is held once every three years and is a tradition which started in 1882 with the Ajax of Sophocles.[1]

The history of the early years may be found in P. E. Easterling's The Early Years of the Cambridge Greek Play: 1883–1912.[2]

Among famous names involved in those early days were Rupert Brooke as the Herald in Aeschylus' Eumenides (1906), Sir Hubert Parry as the composer of incidental music to Aristophanes' The Birds (1883) – the Bridal March is still used in weddings – and Ralph Vaughan Williams as composer of incidental music to The Wasps, also by Aristophanes (1909). More recently, actor Tom Hiddleston played Orestes in Sophocles' Electra in 2001.[1]

The Cambridge Greek Play is now hosted by the historic Cambridge Arts Theatre.[1]

## Recent performance history

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* Ion by Euripides (2026)[3]
* The Persians by Aeschylus and Cyclops by Euripides (2022)
* Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles (2019)
* Antigone by Sophocles and Lysistrata by Aristophanes (2016)[4]
* Prometheus Bound attributed to Aeschylus and Frogs by Aristophanes (2013)[4]
* Agamemnon by Aeschylus (2010)[4][5][6]
* Medea by Euripides(2007)[7]
* Oedipus the King by Sophocles (2004)[8]
* Electra by Sophocles (2001)
* The Trojan Women by Euripides (1998)

## See also

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* Oxford Classical Drama Society
* The Wasps (Vaughan Williams)
* Bradfield College#The Greek play

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "The History of the Cambridge Greek Play". Retrieved 25 September 2017.
2. ^ P. E. Easterling, "The Early Years of the Cambridge Greek Play: 1883–1912". In Christopher Stray (ed.), Classics in 19th and 20th Century Cambridge: Curriculum, Culture and Community. Cambridge Philological Society, Suppl. 24. Cambridge: Cambridge Philological Society, 1998. ISBN 0-906014-23-9.
3. ^ Administrator (15 July 2013). "Cambridge Greek Play". www.classics.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
4. ^ a b c "Cambridge Greek Play". Retrieved 25 September 2017.
5. ^ Belton, Padraig (19 October 2010). "This play was all ancient Greek to me. But I liked it". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
6. ^ "Varsity Review: Agamemnon". Retrieved 19 March 2013.
7. ^ Rice, Ed (12 October 2007). "Medea" (PDF). Varsity (661): 27. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
8. ^ House, Arthur; Oliver Tilley (8 October 2004). "Oedipus: complex" (PDF). Varsity (603): 19–20. Retrieved 15 December 2009.

## External links

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* Cambridge Greek Play 2019
* Full Performance History

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