The ancient Cypriot town of Limassol, visited by Richard the Lionheart in 1191 during the Third Crusade, is the home of the Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute. This was founded in 1977 and hosts the 14th International Festival of Greek Drama from the 1st to the 27th of July.

The Festival includes a variety of performances from international companies and has been exulted as an important contributor in keeping the ancient Greek dramas alive and moving them forward into the 21st century. Companies from a range of countries have participated in the festival, from Russia to the USA and Korea.

The dramas are performed in a unique array of locations around the island, including the amphitheatre at Kuorion, Makarios II Amphitheatre in Nicosia and the Paphos Ancient Odeon, the mythical birthplace of the Greek goddess of beauty and love, Aphrodite.

The playwright that will be central in the 2010 festival is the much acclaimed comic writer Aristophanes. Four of his most famous plays are being adapted by the Cyprus Theatre Organisation, The Greek Theatro Technis Karolos Kuon, the Greek National Theatre and most interestingly, the People’s Art Theatre from Wuhan in China. This year will also see a Slovene theatre company attempting Aeschylus’ Agamemnon. The Russian ‘Free Space’ State Theatre Company will perform one of Euripides’ finest works, Alcestis.

Ancient Greek drama is of great interest to a wide variety of both artists and audiences. Why not broaden your experience? If you fancy some experimental theatre watched in unique ancient settings and complemented by beautiful beaches, great food and copious amounts of good wine, Cyprus is a great spot for a summer holiday. Flythomascook operates regular flights to Paphos from a variety of UK airports.

Dire Straits front man Mark Knopfler is rumoured to be giving a concert on Tenerife later this summer.

When the pop band Dire Straits first came to prominence in the late 1970′s, they quickly grew their fame on the back of two remarkable albums to become world superstars. Several years of fame and fortune allowed the band members to step back from the public eye and enjoy the fruits of their success. But recently, two of the band have released new work and are touring again. Bass player, John Illsley, now runs a pub in Hampshire and his new album “Streets of Heaven” is released in May 2010.

Lead Guitarist and singer Mark Knopfler released his latest album “Get Lucky” in 2009 and is busy with a world tour that sees him performing in America during April and from May onwards in the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria and Portugal amongst other places.

What has got the Dire Straits fans on Tenerife interested is that the current final date on his tour is in Gredos, Spain on 31st July, making a visit to Tenerife perfectly possible. Other pop stars who have made the trip to Tenerife in the past include Rod Stewart and Elton John, but the economics of shipping an entire concert set to the Canaries is not easily financed, so the likelihood of the Mark Knopfler concert is still uncertain.