ATHENS, Greece - The ruined theater under the Acropolis where the works of Euripides and other classical playwrights were first performed 2,500 years ago will undergo partial restoration over the next six years, officials said Wednesday.
The $9 million program is set for completion by 2015 and will include extensive additions to the surviving stone seats of the Theater of Dionysos.
But is unlikely that the site will host modern audiences any time soon.
The theater, on the southern slopes of the Acropolis Hill, was first used in the late sixth century B.C. It saw the opening performances of tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, as well as Aristophanes' comedies - considered the precursors of Western theater.
"The Theater of Dionysos … is of immense historic significance, as it is here that the masterpieces of ancient drama were first performed," said architect Constantinos Boletis, the project leader.
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Dionysos was an ancient god in whose cult the art of theater originated.
The theater, originally a terrace where spectators sat on the bare earth above a circular stage, was rebuilt in limestone and marble during the fourth century B.C. and was modified in Hellenistic and Roman times.
A small section of the stone seating - which could hold up to 15,000 spectators - survives. Restorers will add several tiers, using a combination of new stone and recovered ancient fragments.
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