19 Posts in Theater & Stage

After last year's great success, the Cinema made in Italy/Athens tribute returns for the third year with seven fiction films, two documentaries and 1 docufiction, with important awards in their baggage and participation in the most important festivals in the world, such as Cannes, Locarno and of Venice. The opening of the tribute will take place with the Greek premiere of the film "A new tomorrow" (Il sol dell'avvenire) by Nani Moretti. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The premiere will be attended by the leading actress Barbora Bobulova. (a limited number of tickets will be available). According to Maria Komninou, president of the Board of Directors of the Film Library of Greece, "Italy is an important example of how a great literary and film tradition, good film schools, strong state support and film archives contribute to a vibrant and competitive national cinema" . For her part, Patricia Falcinelli, ambassador of Italy, notes that "thanks to the valuable collaboration of the Film Library of Greece and with an excellent partner like Cinecittà, we are getting closer to achieving our goal, to establish "Cinema Made in Italy" as an established, annual, appointment within the rich Greek cultural panorama". As for Annabella Nucara from Cinecittà she writes in the catalog of the tribute about the "multiple borders explored at the festival, as if through a revolving door: that between cinema and life (Il Soldell'Avvenire), between theater and life (La Stranezza) and that between reality and fantasy (Gigi la legge). But also two powerful debuts (Stranizza d'amuri and Una Sterminata domenica), which, although they take place in different times and places, tell us about young people who are forced to fight to find their place in the world. Two classic coming-of-age stories but at the same time unconventional in form and directorial choices. The program is also full of strong and groundbreaking female characters, such as the militant Anna, the daring Gina in La Bella Estate, the mother in ElParaiso, the five transsexual friends who they speak with explosive vitality in Le Favolose. The disarming spontaneity of the children who speak, live and move with complete freedom in front of a camera in Il Cerchio (awarded the David di Donatello 2023 as Best Documentary), helps us discover, once again, the innocence of the little protagonist of Luchino Visconti's Bellissima, in which she is forced to play a role by her mother - the wonderful 'Anna Magnani'.  

Shakespeare was inspired to create one of his most vibrant and cheerful plays by the uninhibited fun with which the last of the 12 days of Christmas is celebrated. The twins, Viola and Sebastien, are shipwrecked on the coast of the almost mythical Illyria, where 2 opposing forces, grief and love, vie for supremacy. It is a clash that gives rise to unexpected occasions of tears and laughter, and whatever else happens, it is a night on which anything goes! Coefficients: Translation - Direction: Giorgos Kimoulis Scenery: Fai Papadopoulou Costumes: Maria Nikolaidou Lighting: Thanasis Demko Contact and presentation of the show: Daisy Lembesi The lyrics and music of the performance are signed by Dionysis Tsaknis. They play: George Kimoulis, Sofia Vogiatzaki, Anna Monogiou, Lili Tsesmatzoglou, Stavros Karagannis, Christos Moustakas, Aris Troupakis, George Ziovas, Kostas Korakis, Tzoris Papadopoulos, George Tsourounakis When: August 21t, 2023 at 21:15. Tickets: From €15   Venue: Alex Cinema (summer) 235 Porto Rafti Ave. Phone: 2299076034

A total of 59 events will fill 30 neighborhoods of Athens with rhythm, sounds and images in all seven municipalities. For more than a month, the city's theatres, squares, parks and courtyards will become the summer residence of both new and established artists who participate in the events. "All Athens is a stage" is the continuation of last year's programme by the Municipality of Athens, which this year also sent an open invitation to artists to submit their proposals for the event. The program is organised by the Organisation for Culture, Sports and Youth of the Municipality of Athens (OPANDA), within the framework of Culture is Athens, bringing together the public and artists. In his statement, the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, underlined: "This year's big outdoor celebration 'spreads' across the entire city to offer Athenians summer evenings full of quality entertainment. We are happy, because once again great artists responded to our invitation to participate in this special cultural event planned with great interest and care by OPANDA. We invite young and old to every park, every square, every open space of Athens - where this year the heart of 'All Athens is one stage' will beat - to come and spend unforgettable summer moments in the city". Summer is when we shine the brightest. The City of Athens makes sure of that by turning the whole of Athens into a performance stage for more than a month with its aptly titled annual initiative “All Athens is a Stage”. Starting July 2nd and going till August 4th, a great number of live concerts, theatrical performances, movie screenings, activities for children and much much more will take place all across the city, all with free entrance. Here’s a selection of some great opportunities to take in the local spirit and join the summer festivities: 22/07: Athens Municipality Symphony Orchestra and quinteto TANGartO join forces for a Concerto Grosso (orchestral baroque music). Open Air Theatre of Colonus, 9 pm 24/07: Music concert dedicated to Greek artists, composers, and poets. Lambraki Hill, 9 pm 29/07: “On The Road Again” a musical journey through the local and international rock scene. Lambraki Hill, 9 pm 31/07 & 04/08: “Tango Greco”, a music and dance performance. Victoria Square, 9 pm 03/08: “Michael Cacoyannis Repérage” a screening of the film The Wastrel (1961) by Michael Cacoyannis, photo exhibition and soundtracks from Cacoyannis’ films. Filopappou Square, 9 pm Info     Tickets: Free admission     Date: 02 July 2023 - 04 August 2023     Time: Various times/places.  

Commemorating the centenary of Maria Callas’ birth, in conjunction with Frank Castorf’s production, the Epidaurus (aefestival.gr) exhibition hall is set to reopen after a 22-year hiatus, thanks to the support of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. The grand reopening will feature a periodic exhibition dedicated to Medea, focusing on the tragic heroine’s enduring presence at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus since 1956. This exhibition, open to the public during the theater performances, will showcase esteemed artifacts from the festival’s archive as well as contributions from renowned cultural organizations and institutions, highlighting the rich legacy of “Medea” productions staged at the iconic national landmark of ancient drama since the 1950s.

Through DJ sets and live performances centered around an elaborate and bold curatorial concept, Borderline Festival explores new sounds and technologies, deconstructs the commonly known music genres and how pop music constantly reinvents itself, and re-approaches the future of the experimental electronic music scene. Noise, acceleration, and multiplicity. Borderline 2023 is an exploration of the ways that avant-garde music and its techniques (loops, samples, distorted vocals) have bled into mainstream music. A new generation of artists has access to cheaper hardware and software and all the world's music at their fingertips thanks to the internet. Lines between genres crumble, new sounds and technologies emerge. Pop is dead and more alive than ever as it absorbs and metabolizes these changes. In Borderline 2023, young Greek creators, members of the vibrant local community, meet with rising international artists at three unexpected spots all over the city, creating a new soundtrack for Athens: a Mediterranean mosaic reflecting the constantly shifting musical landscape, bringing the so-called periphery back to the center of cultural production.From the open-to-all events at the Municipal Market of Kypseli to the late-night concerts at Gagarin 205 and the live performances at the Exhibition Hall -1 of Onassis Stegi. The longest-running festival of Stegi returns once again to Athens, further pursuing the exploration of the boundary lines between arts, cultures, and traditions. Borderline 2023 is curated by Movement Radio, Onassis Stegi's web radio.

With taped interventions by world renowned Hellenic director Costas Gavras and Fatih Akin, who underlined the importance of saving the 2 historic cinemas of the Athens center that are threatened with closure, the Ideal and the Astor, and whose administrators request that their use be immediately declared preserved, it began the long open press conference which was organized today in the Astor hall and which was attended by representatives of associations and bodies of the audiovisual and cultural sector, political parties and institutional actors (Society of Greek Directors, Hellenic Academy of Cinema, Hellenic Cinema Center, SAPOE, ESPEK, Union Hellenic Documentary, Greek Actors' Association, PEKK, POTHA etc.). "I want to address the Minister of Culture Ms. Lina Mendoni. I'm sure he has cultural patriotism. And I hope he also has cinematographic patriotism to save these theaters" stressed Kostas Gavras, declaring his absolute support for the "great fight to save the two theaters". The creator of Turkish origin, Fatih Akin, in his own intervention described the news arriving from Greece as "sad" and spoke about the importance and history of cinema. "Cinema is our heritage. It's what our ancestors always did, telling stories through which they understood themselves and the world better. Save the cinemas. These cultural heritage sites are a sin to close," he said. The managers of the 2 cinemas, Babis and Andreas Kontarakis (Astor), and Giorgos and Spyros Spentzos (Ideal) referred to the history of the case, calling on the public bodies - EFKA, the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Culture - "to do their duty" , as they said, they are "competent in relation to the defense of the public interest, culture, public property, the city and its inhabitants". "All of us who have been protesting since the very beginning are asking for the obvious: for the State to assume its obligations in favor of the public interest. To keep the halls in their places, to keep the city. We have already collected over 10,000 signatures of support. We can bring as many as needed. But we still need one more. That of the Minister of Energy and Environment. We are at the point where the minister just needs to put a signature, but apparently something is holding him back. We therefore call on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to assume their responsibilities and immediately declare the use of the cinemas, Astor and Ideal, protected, which, based on the explanatory reports of the Directorate of Architecture, Building Regulations and Licensing of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, are entitled to this status" said Babis Kontarakis and added: "Neither EFKA nor any investors are our interlocutors. It is none of their business to protect cinemas. There is already a framework that provides for the protection of cultural sites such as ours, and while we are fulfilling the conditions for inclusion, they are preventing us." Referring to the support call held last Sunday under the title "Our cinemas, our city", he said that the support of the people was unprecedented and proved that the people want the theaters and want their city alive. "Cinemas are not museums, nor mausoleums. They are still making history in the city and in culture." Responding to comments that talk about the small attendance of people at the cinemas, Mr. Kontarakis stated that "despite the cultivated impressions, the theaters only this year came out of the covid regime, and yet they managed to recover impressively. The cinemas are still here and support the entire film system of the country." "The day before yesterday we had a magnificent night with endless queues of people, who came reverently to sign for the rescue of the halls" said Giorgos Spentzos in tears. "Ideal carries a history of 102 years. It's not a joke. It is not a shop that you can take from here and take it across the street. So it is in a place where the 'Rex' is listed, the building next door is listed, the German Archaeological Institute is listed, the restaurant 'Ideal' is listed. And I wonder: among 4 listed buildings, a 102-year-old hall doesn't deserve to be listed as well?" he added. As is already known, the exploitation of Ideal has now been taken over by the Mitsis Hotel group. "To avoid any misunderstanding", Mr. Spentzos stressed, "we are not interested in whether we will operate the cinema, let someone else take it, whoever the investor decides. All we want is for Ideal to be saved." The unanimous position of the municipal council of Athens, which has been expressed with 2 respective resolutions for the declaration of historic cinemas as preserved - in terms of use - was reiterated by the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, in his intervention at the press conference. "We are all here because we want to join our voices with yours and highlight the need to preserve - in use - these 2 historic cinemas. I want to remind you that something similar was done in 1997 for the 47 summer cinemas. Therefore, there is a precedent and indeed there is a cross-party consensus on this," he noted. The mayor of Athens restated his clear position that the city "belongs" to the permanent resident and that all efforts for economic development must be connected to his own life. "Yes, we want economic development. We want the investments, we want the visitors. However, we do not want Athens to lose its soul. We don't want to turn into an ancient Greek Disneyland. The opposite. Our strength is our authenticity and mixed uses," he said. Warm texts of support for the cinemas, through the director of the Panorama of European Cinema, Nino Fenek Mikelidis, the veteran and multi-awarded director Ken Loach, who said that "we strongly support your fight to preserve your historic cinemas that are part of the culture of the city" as well as the Serbian director, actor and musician, Emir Kusturica, who stated that "closing them would be a crime".   Lanthimos voices concern over historic Athens cinemas Acclaimed Greek film director Yorgos Lanthimos added his voice to those calling for the rescue of three historic cinemas in central Athens which are at immediate risk of closure. “I would like to add my voice to those who have recently expressed their concern about the disappearance of historic cinemas from the center of Athens, and to express my support in the efforts to save them,” the director said in a video-message published on social media. “I consider it self-evident that we understand their value, socially and culturally, for the center of such a city, and I implore the authorities and those who have the real authority to do what is necessary to designate these cinemas as listed, so that they can continue their operation,” he added. Integral parts of the capital’ cultural scene, the Ideal has been around since 1921 and the Astor since 1947. The future of the Ideal and Astor, two of the Greek capital’s oldest movie theaters, looks uncertain amid speculation over the intentions of the owner of the buildings housing the cinemas, the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA). Last week, a Greek hospitality business, Mitsis Hotels, announced it had leased the building from EFKA and was planning an extensive renovation to turn into a luxury 5-star hotel. A third cinema in central Athens threatened with closure is Irida, the cultural association of the Athenian University students that first opened its doors in the 1960s. In March 30, the Culture Ministry ruled that Ideal and Astor cannot be regarded as historic cultural monuments, stating that they “do not meet the criteria” for enhanced protection and citing legislation passed in 2021. It also clarified that it has no jurisdiction over the two buildings and no say in how they are used.   It is reminded that thes reactions came from the March 30th, 2023, declaration to the media stating that the HellenicCulture Ministry dismissed calls for protection of 2 iconic Athens cinemas: The Ideal and Astor cinemas in downtown Athens cannot be regarded as historic cultural monuments, the Ministry of Culture said in an announcement on Thursday. Citing legislation passed in 2021, the ministry stated that the two movie theaters – on Panepistimiou and Stadiou streets respectively – “do not meet the criteria” for enhanced protection. It also clarified that it has no jurisdiction over the 2 buildings and no say in how they are used. The ministry’s announcement came in response to growing calls for the protection of the 2  cinemas, which are located in buildings owned by the social insurance fund EFKA that are being slated for private development. No provisions have been made to safeguard the operation of the 2 venues.           Integral parts of Athens’ cultural scene, the Ideal has been around since 1921 and the Astor since 1947. In a related development, meanwhile, the managements of the 2 movie theaters have decided to hold a series of free screenings to raise awareness about the campaign to keep them open.

The new exhibition highlights how the arts bring the world together, transcending every kind of border. Since its earliest inception, the theater has constantly made us aware that we are all passengers on a single planet, the great globe itself. On the Arrivals level, a theatrical map invites passengers and visitors to the airport to explore a world without borders and countries, an open world that brings people and cultures together. This map, although by no means exhaustive, features influential authors from around the world, who we can learn more about through QR codes with details of their life and work, photographs of National Theater of Greece productions of their plays, and quotations from their writing. Visitors to the exhibition will also be able to see Moliere’s costume from a production of Mikhail Bulgakov’s play of the same name directed by Stathis Livathinos on the Main Stage in 2020. The costume was designed by Eleni Manolopoulou and worn by Stamatis Fasoulis, who played Moliere.   OPENING HOURS DAILY 24H/DAY   TICKETS ENTRANCE IS FREE AIA Venue: Art & Culture, Arrivals Level (Exit 1)

Sign up to attend 2 hours dedicated to what it means to study Fine Art at Deree, American College  of Greece. Deree enrollment advisors and faculty from the School talk about everything Deree can offer young people for a futureproof career in the arts! Learn about:      The study programs offered      The scholarships      Parallel studies if you are a student of the Greek University      Opportunities to study at universities abroad      The soft skills      Career paths after graduation      The prospects for postgraduate studies and an academic career A Q&A section will follow, where those interested can ask their questions about what interests them. The presentation will take place Online. Complete the registration form to be able to attend the Deree Info Session and learn about all that Deree has to offer Fine Arts students.   Wednesday, February 22 | 18:00-20:00 Register here: https://myacg.secure.force.com/events/targetX_eventsb__events#/esr?eid=a1lIV00000075kXYAQ

Some 40 emerging choreographers have featured so far, with the Onassis New Choreographers Festival (ONC) acting as a springboard launching them beyond Greek borders, giving them the chance to tour internationally and garner awards at international dance events. Looking to the future, this year’s festival - to be known, from now on, as Onassis Dance Days - will continue to support the creation of new works developed within the utterly hybrid and dynamic form that is the contemporary performing arts. Works by artists who, no matter their ethnicity, age, disability, or arts background (be it dance or other), love to answer the simplest question in the world - “ What is dance?” - in thrillingly oblique ways. The festival will be held from March 2 to March 5.

Poised and plain-spoken, a peerless Valmont in the Oscar-winning film “Dangerous Liaisons” (playing alongside Michelle Pfeiffer and Glenn Close in 1988), a leading light of the historic Steppenwolf experimental theater company in Chicago (from 1976 to 2020), and the only Hollywood actor to have let us to take a deep dive into their mind (in “Being John Malkovich”, the cult art-house movie written by Charlie Kaufman) is appearing at Onassis Stegi for the first time, performing the role of the darkest client in the world theater repertoire. Duration 60 minutes Age guidance 18+ Language The performance is in English with Greek surtitles. For more information go to : https://www.onassis.org/whats-on/in-the-solitude-of-cotton-fields-john-malkovich-ingeborga-dapkunaite When: Saturday, 11/02/2023, 20:30 Sunday, 12/02/2023, 20:30   Venue: Onassis Stegi 107-109 Syngrou Avenue 11745 Athens, Greece

The NTG's Drama School Asssociation of Teachers protested the decree, which equates the diplomas of drama schools with high school diplomas. In a press conference on January 24th, NTG teachers had warned they would resign if the government failed to amend the decree by February 8th. The news was announced over the loudspeakers at the students’ sit-in at the National Theater premises on Agiou Konstantinou Street in central Athens which started on February 5th. Students have occupied the Ziller Building premises of the National Theater since February 5th over the same issue.

The labor action by actors and theater workers is taking place in protest of a draft government bill on payment in the industry. The Panhellenic Federation of Theaters said that under the proposed law, the, “renumeration of artists in the wider public sector and in private entities will not be determined by collective labor agreements but by the respective government.” Other unions said the bill would downgrade their degrees and qualifications. According to a National Theater announcement, those who have purchased tickets for the plays will either be able to change the dates or be reimbursed for price of their tickets. Those that bought their tickets electronically will be informed via email regarding the necessary procedure. Tickets bought from sale points can changed or cancelled at the point of sale.