Cambridge Greek Play

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

The history of the early years may be found in Pat Easterling's "The Early Years of the Cambridge Greek Play: 1883-1912", a contribution to 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

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). Vaughan Williams' overture remains a concert-hall favourite.

The next play to be performed is Euripides' Medea in October 2007 (www.the-medea.co.uk). Recent plays included Oedipus (2004) and Electra (2001). The Cambridge Greek Play is now hosted in the historic Cambridge Arts Theatre, once established by the economist John Maynard Keynes.