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| Lysistrata: Adapted from Aristophanes for modern performance | |
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 First-edition cover Kaktos | |
| Written by | Andrew David Irvine |
| Characters | Lysistrata of Athens Athenians Soldiers Chorus of Old Women Chorus of Old Men Kalonike Myrrhine Lampito of Sparta Woman from Boeotia Woman from Corinth Athenian Women Sun Moon Captain Young Soldier Magistrate Athena Kinesias Envoy Reconciliation |
| Date premiered | 2024 |
| Place premiered | Epidaurus, Greece |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | The Peloponnesian war |
| Genre | Greek comedy |
| Setting | Ancient Athens |
Andrew David Irvine's Lysistrata is a free adaptation of Aristophanes’ famous 411 BCE comedy, especially adapted for modern performance. The adaptation had its premiere workshop performance in Epidaurus, Greece, under the direction of Anna Lazou, on May 12, 2024.
The play was published in 2024 by the Athens publishing house, Kaktos.[1] In addition to the play, the book includes production notes, a brief introduction and a helpful guide to the pronunciation of Greek names.
As Irvine tells his readers, the adaptation “does not follow the original text of Aristophanes’ most famous play slavishly. But it does, I hope, give readers and audiences a flavour of what is timeless in Aristophanes, and of what Aristophanes may have hoped people might learn from his and his countrymen’s experience of war. … The fact that works written over two thousand years ago can still be successfully performed today tells us a great deal about our shared humanity across the ages and around the world.” [2]