Greek Theatre Programme

Explore Programme

The Greek Theatre Programme (GTP) is BADA’s month-long summer programme dedicated to classical Greek drama. Based in the UK (London and Oxford) and in Greece (Athens, Delphi, Nafplio, Argos and Epidavros), the programme combines seminars, site visits and studio-based practical sessions exploring the performance and reception of Ancient Greek plays from antiquity to the present day.

The British American Drama Academy Evelyn Miller

British American Drama Academy WORKSHOPS

Programme Overview

At the heart of the programme lies the fruitful interaction between text, performance and context. We pay close attention to the cultural, social and political developments in 5th Century BCE Athens, and have regular classes in acting, voice and movement. We work with specialists and leading theatre practitioners in the UK and Greece.

We’ll combine theory and practice throughout, with opportunities to explore scenes and characters in performance.

Participants will spend the first ten days of the programme in London before travelling to Greece for ten full days and then returning to the UK for a final residency in Oxford.

London, Delphi, Nafplio, Athens, and Oxford

Participants will spend the first 10 days of the programme in London at BADA’s home at 14 Gloucester Gate before travelling to Greece for 10 days and then returning to the UK for a final week-long residency in Oxford.

14 Gloucester Gate, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4HG, United Kingdom

Get directions

Curriculum Details

Greek Theatre is an intense, interdisciplinary programme that combines acting and performance work, academic writing, and archival research. The tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides will form the basis of our work on this programme – both in the classroom and during studio time. A reading list will be provided prior to the programme beginning.

Studio work:

Performing Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides This will comprise of acting classes on how to approach scenes, monologues and choral work. You will have separate sessions in:
- Acting
- Voice
- Movement
Masterclasses Practical and technique-based sessions with guest artists with expertise on performing tragedy. Previous masterclasses have included mask work, choral practice and exploring the adaptation process

Classes include:

Athenian Tragedy in Performance Spanning performance practice in the ancient world up to and including its reception today. How have generations reimagined tragedy to speak to their own eras?
Athens and Empire 5th Century BCE Athens was a fledgling democracy with a large empire. The original performances of many tragedies were set against the backdrop of a punishing war with Sparta, but also in the midst of an extraordinary blossoming of cultural and artistic expression. This module explores the historical context of tragedy in Athens and its legacy today.
Lectures & Guided Tours Talks and discussions with visiting academics as well as expert-led tours of ancient sites

Research
The provision of cutting-edge research is one of the APGRD’s primary aims, with a publication record to match.

Our research team of experienced and emergent scholars has produced pioneering studies and our digital resources include freely available databases of both ancient and modern productions. New research programmes include Performing Epic; Translating Ancient Drama, and Interactive Multimedia e-books.

The APGRD aims to create a wider community of scholarship, drawing upon experts and practitioners from the worlds of classics, theatre, music and dance. This unique, multidisciplinary, and inclusive approach gives the APGRD additional vitality and relevance.

Preserve
Our archives contain over 10,000 items relating to modern performances of Greek and Roman drama. The centrepiece of the archive is the Leyhausen-Spiess collection, which documents European theatre history from the 1920s to the 1970s.

Managed by a professional archivist, the APGRD archives are accessible to scholars and practitioners. To make an appointment to consult the collections, please see our Visit us page.

Our video, audio and manuscript collections provide the raw materials for future scholarship and allow modern performances to be preserved for posterity. Donations to the archive are welcome.

Create
From commissioning new plays to hosting rehearsed readings, the APGRD works to further the understanding of ancient theatre – where western drama began and where the first musical theatre appeared.

The APGRD’s members have been producers, academic advisors and consultants on internationally acclaimed productions. The APGRD provides directors, writers, actors, choreographers and composers with a space to speak and engage with academics and students.

BADA is not an accredited US institution; we are unable to provide academic credit for the programme.

With its intensive workload, 94 contact hours and 86 further unsupervised work hours, this programme has a suggested credit equivalency of two 3 credit courses, in line with other programmes BADA runs. You will finish the programme with a portfolio of work, and the programme director can provide a written assessment for your home institution.

Classroom and programme work breakdown by hours

94 hours of contact time

Classroom time in London – 16 hours
Acting classes in London – 12 hours
Trip to British Museum – 3 hours
London masterclasses – 4 hours
Greece – 2 masterclasses – 4 hours
Greece – guided tours of Delphi, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Acropolis of Athens – 12 hours
Greece classroom time – 9 hours
Greece acting class time – 18 hours
Oxford classroom time – 8 hours
Oxford acting classes – 8 hours

86 hours of unsupervised work

London – 2 theatre trips – 6 hours
Greece – 2 theatre shows – 6 hours
Report on each theatre show we see – 4 x 2 = 8 hours
Oxford seminar – 8 hours
APGRD access time – 10 hours
Performance writing/prep – 40 hours
2 papers x 4 hours – 8 hours

For enquiries about BADA’s Greek Theatre programme, please contact:

Paul O’Mahony, Programme Director
pomahony@bada.org.uk

In addition to in-class acting and academic work and out of class/studio preparation, participants are invited to submit additional written work drawing from their theatre visits, site visits, and archive work:

Work Expectations

Theatre reports (4 total)
Research papers (2 total)

Guest Artists who have recently joined our Greek Theatre Programme include:

Nina Bowers
Greg Hicks
Sofia Paschou
Argyris Xafis

Behind the scenes

The Greek Theatre Programme Faculty is comprised of distinguished teaching artists from a variety of theatrical backgrounds.

Programme Logistics

2026 Dates

Saturday 30th May	Arrive in London
Monday 1st June	Teaching starts
Wednesday 10th June	Travel to Greece
Sunday 21st June	Travel to Oxford
Thursday 25th June	Symposium
Friday 26th June	Final day of programme
Saturday 27th June	Participants depart

Accommodations in London will be shared twin rooms at the Stay Club Kentish Town. Accommodations in Greece will be in shared twin rooms as will rooms in Oxford at St Hilda’s College. Further details on accommodation will be sent to you as part of pre-arrival materials.

The London portion of the Greek Theatre Programme is hosted in our historic Crown Estate building in one of London’s most beautiful residential neighbourhoods.

Inside BADA you will find a full range of facilities including 6 teaching spaces, each named after a different playwright, a Library, a collection of recorded performances, and a private Green Room for students to relax or study in-between classes.

There are also designated computer and printing facilities for participants and wireless internet connection available throughout the building.

Crown Estate Building

London

BADA is located beside the beautiful Regent’s Park, perfect for walks between classes and picnics on sunny days. BADA’s location offers easy access to the theatres in London’s West End and is a few minutes from Camden Town, famous for its bustling markets, coffee bars, health food stores, art house cinemas and distinctive shops. BADA is also close to Primrose Hill (home to many actors, directors, writers and other artists) with a spectacular panoramic view across London.

Studying in London enables you to take advantage of the cultural and theatrical riches of one of the world’s great cities, with a history that stretches back more than two thousand years; and also to travel easily around the rest of the UK and Europe during the nine-day mid-semester break.

The 2026 Greek Theatre Programme fees are: $8,950 *

Programme fees include all excursions (theatre trips, site visits, museum admission and tours, etc.), air transportation to/from London to Greece, all ground transportation and accommodations while on the programme.

All fees are payable in US dollars. Please contact Finance Director Helen Ainsworth at hainsworth@bada.org.uk should you wish to settle the fees in UK Sterling so that an appropriate rate can be agreed.

* London Accommodation

Should you wish to arrange your own accommodation for the London portion of the programme, then the reduction in the programme fee will be $825. Participants must confirm on acceptance whether they wish to make their own accommodation arrangements or use that arranged by BADA. Due to the high demands for accommodation in London during the summer months, we cannot guarantee that rooms can be made available should a later decision be made to take up the offer of accommodation booked through the programme.

Please note, in addition to the fees payable to BADA, participants are responsible for:

Roundtrip Airfare to the UK
Insurance
Meals
Spending money

Spending habits obviously vary widely between participants, but London is an expensive city. We recommend a minimum of £150 ($190) a week for food, laundry and transport if you mostly prepare your own food and use only public transport. Regular coffees, takeaways, meals out or use of cabs can quickly push the cost of subsistence and transport up beyond £200 ($250) per week.

Greek Theatre Programme Refund Policy

A deposit of $500 is required on acceptance, which is non-refundable. Fees are payable by the due dates as outlined in your acceptance letter. Any fees paid will be forfeited should you withdraw from the programme. Participation in the programme will not be permitted if programme fees have not been paid in full before the start date and any fees paid will be forfeited.

If the programme is canceled by BADA due to circumstances beyond our control, all fees, with the exception of the application fee, will be refunded. BADA accepts no responsibility for personally incurred expenses such as flights or pre-booked ground transportation.

Financial Assistance

Limited awards from the BADA scholarship fund are available to assist accepted applicants in defraying the costs of attending BADA’s summer programmes. These awards are based on need and merit.

Before applying to the programme, please note the fees and consider how you will fund the experience should you be accepted. Only a very small number of applicants accepted to the summer 2026 programmes will be chosen to receive scholarship funding from BADA. Awards could be a small as a few hundred dollars. Most accepted applicants will need to provide their own funding.

If you would like to discuss the possibilities of receiving scholarship funding prior to submitting an application, please feel free to contact our Summer Programmes Admissions Coordinator, Jennifer Rockwood: jrockwood@bada.org.uk.

Note: Fees for BADA’s summer programmes are not eligible for payment under the federal loan system nor do they qualify as higher education expenses under the 529 plan as they are not credit bearing. Unfortunately, BADA is not in a position to assist in the retention of any additional outside grant or loan assistance.

For enquiries about BADA’s Greek Theatre Programme, please contact:

Paul O’Mahony, Programme Director
pomahony@bada.org.uk

Ten days in London will be spent with time split between the classroom and the studio. Classes will cover the context of tragedy’s creation and early performance, and the reception of Attic tragedy in the UK and US. Dynamic studio sessions will focus on developing performance technique, with choral work and acting classes incorporating speech and scene work. There will be regular voice classes and you’ll be assigned speeches to explore for the duration of the programme.

Masterclasses will be provided by leading practitioners working with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. They will focus on additional aspects of performance relevant to tragedy, such as mask work.

There will be a guided tour of the British Museum and two trips to see performances in London.

The British Museum was founded in 1753 and opened its doors in 1759. It was the first national museum to cover all fields of human knowledge, open to visitors from across the world.

Enlightenment ideals and values – critical scrutiny of all assumptions, open debate, scientific research, progress and tolerance – have marked the Museum since its foundation.

The Museum is driven by an insatiable curiosity for the world, a deep belief in objects as reliable witnesses and documents of human history, sound research, as well as the desire to expand and share knowledge.

We will then spend 10 days in Greece. In Athens we’ll visit locations which were critical to its fledgling democracy and which helped shape theatre’s emergence as an artform. We’ll visit the ancient sites of Delphi and Mycenae, providing further context and the opportunity to read, explore and perform plays in the locations they’re set. We’ll visit the ancient theatres of Epidauros and Argos to appreciate their scale, design and acoustic – something which can only be experienced in-person.

In Delphi we’ll continue our regular classes and explore additional choral elements. In Nafplio we will be hosted by Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies. In this beautiful and inspiring setting we’ll hold a series of workshops and acting classes – as well as academic sessions led by visiting professors from leading US universities.

There will be masterclasses with a leading actor-director from the National Theatre of Greece, and a choreographer from Greece’s National Opera company. Your voice and acting teachers will lead daily sessions, and we will continue to work on scenes and monologues throughout our stay.

You’ll be accompanied by the programme director along the way, who will tie together the theory and practice of the programme’s syllabus in the very locations which inspired and hosted the first performances of tragedy.

The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the rock and on the surrounding slopes, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. More than 4,250 objects are exhibited over an area of 14,000 square metres.

The_Odeon_of_Herodes_Atticus_in_Athens__In_the_distance_Philopappos_Hill

The_great_theater_of_Epidaurus_designed_by_Polykleitos_the_Younger_in_the_4th_century_BC_Sanctuary_of_Asklepeios_at_Epidaurus_Greece

The_Acropolis_of_Athens_viewed_from_the_Hill_of_the_Muses_14220794964

Syntagma-Square-Nafplio 1

We return to the UK for our residency in Oxford. There we will be based at the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama, the foremost resource in the world for the study of tragedy and its reception. We’ll have full access to the archive with guidance from an archivist and talks from Pantelis Kichelakis, Fiona Macintosh and others. There will be workshops and classes led by eminent academics and artists, in addition to further voice and acting classes. We’ll attend the post-graduate Theatre and Classics Symposium held by the APGRD in conjunction with the Royal Holloway Theatre Department, at which we will perform scenes and monologues from tragedy.

What are the programme dates for 2026?

The 2026 Greek Theatre Programme will run 30 May – 27 June.

Key Dates include:

Wednesday 10th June Travel to Greece
Sunday 21st June Travel to Oxford
Thursday 25th June Symposium

What are the programme fees for 2026?

The 2026 Greek Theatre Programme fees are: $8,950 *

What’s not included in the programme fees?

Please note, in addition to the fees payable to BADA, participants are responsible for:

Round trip Airfare to the UK
Insurance
Meals
Spending money

Spending habits obviously vary widely between participants, but we recommend a minimum of £150 ($190) a week for food, laundry and transport if you mostly prepare your own food and use only public transport. Regular coffees, takeaways, meals out or use of cabs can quickly push the cost of subsistence and transport up beyond £200 ($250) per week.

Do you offer financial assistance? How do I apply for a scholarship?

BADA only has a small scholarship fund from which awards will be made to applicants who indicated that they would like to be considered for funding. These awards are based on need and merit. Need is demonstrated by checking the box, asking to be considered. Merit is demonstrated in the audition. Unfortunately, BADA is not in the position to support all accepted applicants who request funding. In addition, most awards are in the range of a few hundred dollars.

Although BADA by no means wants to discourage applicants from applying to the program, we do feel it is important for applicants to understand that most participants will be asked to pay the full fees. Before applying to the program, please note the fees and consider how you will fund the experience should you be accepted.

If you have questions on financial assistance, please contact Jennifer Rockwood prior to submitting an application. Jennifer can be reached at jrockwood@bada.org.uk.

Can I pay the programme fees with federal loans or with a 529 Savings Plan?

Fees for BADA’s summer programmes are not eligible for payment under the federal loan system nor do they qualify as higher education expenses under the 529 plan as they are not credit bearing.

Unfortunately, BADA is not in a position to assist in the retention of any additional outside grant or loan assistance.

What is the refund policy?

Refund Policy

Please note: the $55 application fee is also non-refundable.

When will I hear whether I have been accepted onto the programme?

You will receive an admissions decision by early March.

Please be patient; you will absolutely hear from us one way or another. Admissions decisions are distributed via the Acceptd messaging system.

Is transportation included in the fees?

Do you provide transportation to and from the programme? Will a coach meet me in Oxford and take and take me to the airport?

No. Participants are responsible for arranging their own ground transport to/from the airport.

Although car services are available, we highly recommend the bus service available from the airports as the most efficient and cost-effective method of transport from Oxford to the London area airports. Recommended transport options will be sent to all participants with their pre-arrival materials.

Admissions & Applications

We welcome applicants at the undergraduate and graduate level as well as those who are not currently enrolled in educational programmes. Applicants aged 18 must have at least one year’s experience away from home to be considered for this programme.

Please note: the Greek Theatre Programme is a physically demanding programme with a packed schedule that includes a number of walking tours and site visits. Teaching spaces and accommodations are accessible but the historical nature of the ancient sites allows for limited accommodations.

For enquiries about BADA’s Greek Theatre Programme, please contact:

Paul O’Mahony, Programme Director
pomahony@bada.org.uk

Applications for Summer 2026 are closed. Applications for Summer 2027 will open in autumn 2026.

Your application for Greek Theatre will include:

Application form
Personal statement (approximately 250 words): Tell us about your background/experience and why you are interested in attending this programme.
Resume
Academic/Professional Recommendation
Zoom interview with Programme Director

If you would like to be notified about future sessions, please sign up for our Greek Theatre Programme mailing list.

For enquiries about BADA’s Greek Theatre Programme, please contact:Paul O’Mahony, Programme Director
pomahony@bada.org.uk

Spend the whole summer in Europe with BADA by taking the Greek Theatre Programme followed by Midsummer in Oxford for a 10% discounted rate, a total cost of $15,795 as opposed to $17,550. Application deadline: Feb. 6.

From late May you would study Greek Theatre, based in London, Delphi, Nafplio, Athens and Oxford; followed by our renowned four-week acting intensive Midsummer in Oxford (now in its 42nd year!) based at Magdalen College, Oxford University from early July to early August.

Apply

Please note: participants are responsible for their own food, accommodation, and transportation between the end of the Greek Theatre Programme and the start of the Midsummer in Oxford Programme.

Contact Jennifer Rockwood on jrockwood@bada.org.uk with questions.

Greek Theatre Programme

Programme Overview

London, Delphi, Nafplio, Athens, and Oxford

Curriculum Details

Behind the scenes

Programme Logistics

Admissions & Applications

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