The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the ancient theater located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens, hosted a performance that was free for 1,500 unemployed Greek citizens, who got to hear Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman.
There are more than 1.3 million people in Greece out of work as the country is suffering a record 26.8 percent unemployment rate caused by crushing austerity measures imposed by the government on the orders of international lenders.
“We decided that during these hard times, we cannot shy away from the real problems our society is facing. So through a series of artistic events held in various spaces, we are bringing opera to a wider audience because we believe that it is a type of entertainment people appreciate. And that is why we are holding this event today,” Myron Michaildis, the National Opera’s Artistic Director, told Euronews.
Among the people standing in the queue and waiting for a ticket, was an out-of-work actor who stressed: “In this crisis, at the very least, cultural events must be made available to the people. It is only through culture that the people will be able to rise again”
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