Petra Theater

The Petra Theatre (Stone Theatre) used to be an old abandoned quarry. Thanks to the intervention of the Municipality of Petroupolis, it has been transformed into a summer theatre that hosts major events. It was built in 1986 on the site of the old quarry. It has wooden stands and an iron frame. From time to time, the theatre needs to be maintained and its capacity increased.

It is now known for the Petra International Festival, which hosts a large number of artistic and cultural events, mainly related to theatre or music. In 1983, at the suggestion of Minoas Volanakis and with the approval of Mayor Nikos Paximadas, the old quarry called “Aimos” in Petroupoli was used for cultural events for the first time. This was the beginning of the cultural history of this area, which continues to this day.

In 1995, the main stage of the theatre was built in its current form, named “Minos Volanakis”, with a capacity of 4,000 seats. It is a simple and welcoming theatre with an imposing aesthetics, a reflection of the majesty of the stone volumes that surround it. Together with the Peter Brook Stage, which has a capacity of 1,000 seats, it still hosts all the Festival’s events.

In 2003, after the festival had gained an international artistic presence, it was renamed the “Petra International Festival”. Since then, it has continued to host the most important national and international artists. At the same time the Municipality of Petroupoli supports the young artists of the city with its music, dance, theatre and art departments, the Municipal Conservatory and the Drama School.