The DIAZOMA Association for the protection of ancient theaters held the 6th Meeting of its Corporate Members in Sparta, focusing on “The Restoration of the Ancient Theater as a Local, National and Universal Obligation,” for three days, from Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 7.
The meeting took place on the occasion of the DIAZOMA Association declaring 2019 as the “Year of the Ancient Theater of Sparta,” and of the recent developments in the project for its restoration and promotion. As part of the round table talks, George Agouridis, a member of the Board of Directors and Chief Legal Counsel of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), had the honor of speaking as part of the event, saying: “The concept of moral responsibility, around which today’s meeting unfolds, is a personal matter. It starts with each of us individually and then spreads; it flows through our circle, with the prospect of growing from the local to the national and, sometimes, even to the international level. The case of the Ancient Theater of Sparta’s restoration is an illustrative example of the “contagious” power of responsibility.[…] I would like to share with you our hope and desire that our next meeting takes place upon the completion of the project when the Ancient Theater of Sparta is in operation as a monument that can be visited and enjoyed. So that this “theater made of white stones, sight-worthy” comes alive once again…”
(Read the full speech)
The SNF had supported a study for the restoration of the Ancient Theater of Sparta, which is considered one of Ancient Greece’s most important theaters, with a total capacity of up to 16,000. The SNF previously awarded DIAZOMA with a grant for the study for the restoration of the Ancient Roman Theater of Nikopolis, which is one of the five archaeological sites along the cultural route of the ancient theaters of Epirus.
