Eschilo in Sicilia: l’Agamènnuni di Isgrò - Pirrotta (1983-2021)

In Sicily, where Aeschylus spent his last days, Syracuse has been hosting a festival of classical productions since 1914, when "Agamemnon" re-opened the ancient Greek theatre. For the past century, all over Sicily, this play and the entire "Oresteia" was (and is) frequently chosen in order to celebrate the-foundation (or rebirth) of a community, or to reflect dramatic events, such as earthquakes and mass movements which inundate and submerge Sicily. Such is the case of the tragedy "Agamènnuni", based on Aeschylus’s drama, and first part of the trilogy "Orestea di Gibellina", by the Sicilian artist and playwright Emilio Isgrò (Barcellona di Sicilia, 1937-): first staged in 1983, as a choral performance on the ruins of the town of Gibellina, and re-performed on 9th July 2021 as a monologue by Vincenzo Pirrotta. The latter, a Sicilian actor, playwright and director, has previously adapted "Eumenides", and other ancient texts in his own language, and style, and performed them over decades in Gibellina, in ancient Greek theatres as well as in non-conventional place, in Sicily and abroad. The study aims at showing how, in both artists, Sicily appears as a crossroad and a melting pot of cultures and languages, where Greek heritage is still vibrant, and strong.