Excerpted from the Institute of Classical Studies list of meetings, I offer the programme of this excellent festival. If I have missed any events, or have made mistakes, please let me know by using the Comment facility. I would like this to be an accurate guide, so help!   more »

Here is my personal response to the experience of going to Euripides' Hecuba at the Donmar Warehouse in London.   more »

Berlioz's music is fabulous, and I am very grateful to have seen the Covent Garden production back in the 1950s, a traditionally staged version of the two operas performed in one evening, as the ENO is going to do. The two moments that stick in the memory are the Trojan March, choral version, belted out by massed chorus bunched together as for a whole-school photo, and in complete and wondrous contrast, the lone Trojan sailor high in the rigging of Aeneas' ship, singing a wistful and beautiful melody - don't know what it was about, but it was entrancing. But burning aircraft in the Aeneid? No thanks!   more »

The Independent's interview with actor Tim Piggott-Smith, who is Agamemnon in the Donmar Warehouse's coming production of Hecuba, incidentally gives a round-up of some of the plays and films to look out for. Here's some of the interview (look out for an interesting sentence or two on the tragic chorus - useful for essays?):   more »

There's to be a new version of 'Hecuba' as remodelled by Frank McGuiness. 'Hecuba' previews at the Donmar theatre (0870 060 6624) from Sept 9.   more »

The bank holiday dramatisation of the Odyssey was not unique, apparently. In 1981 American public radio presented an eight and a half hour version, and it has now (2004) been issued, probably on CD, but certainly for download from Audible.com.   more »