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Trade with Greece
117
Countess Livia Serpieri. I handed my lover,
Sergeant Franz Mahler, to the Austrian army for
desertion…”. The interior monologue on the subject
of double betrayal is performed by leading Greek
actresses with an Italian colleague among them.
The innovative Dimitris Lignadis directs “Miss
Julie” with Stefania Goulioti in the mythic title role.
The director plays Jean. We can look forward to a
new approach to the carnivorous Strindbergian
relationship which is the Athens Festival’s contri-
bution to the August Strindberg Centennial.
Two important actors join forces with a young
director in Ionesco’s “The Chairs”: Olia Lazaridou
and Dimitris Kataleifos interpret this classic play
of the absurd, directed by Euripides Laskaridis.
“Athanasios Diakos: the return”. Lena Kitsopoulou,
the actress who recently made a splash with her
personal authorial style, performs and directs her
latest play. Her core collaborator in this venture,
the actor Nikos Karathanos.
The Blitz Company, whose recent appearance in
Berlin garnered considerable acclaim, has prom-
ised a surprise performance.
Simos Kakalas and the Choros theatre company
present Erofili (no. 3), a production dedicated to
injecting new life into our relationship with tradition.
Dimitris Kourtakis returns with “Amok (Orestes)”, a
work which tackles the burning issue of adolescent
criminality by bringing together the violence that
possesses the Atreides as they run amok in
Euripides’ Orestes and that of the two teenage
assassins at Columbine High School.
Giannis Kalavrianos returns with “Sons and daugh-
ters”, a performance on the quest for happiness, a
work based on interviews with the elderly.
“Woyzeck”, Bόchner’s best-known work, brings
German and Greek artists together in a fascinating
experiment. Directed by Elli Papakonstantinou.
With Argyris Xafis.
Another two young directors whose early work has
shown considerable promise have been invited to
collaborate with the Athens Festival for the first
time:
Dimitris Karatzas will be directing his youthful com-
pany in Ibsen’s “Little Eyolf”.
Sylvia Liouliou is presenting Dionysios Solomos’
“Lambros”.
Nikos Diamantis’ Simeio Theatre will be presenting
its installation, Museum of Human Behaviour, at
the Benaki Museum.
Epidaurus
A great tragedy by Sophocles (Oedipus Rey,
directed by Cezaris Graužinis - 6 & 7/7), a produc-
tion based on the figure of Electra in the work of the
three tragedians (Cyprus Theatre Organization,
Electras, directed by Hanan Snir - 27 & 28/7), and
four productions which seek to transfer
Aristophanes’ satire into our own trying times
(National Theatre of Greece, “The Clouds”, direct-
ed by Nikos Mastorakis - 13 & 14/7 / National
Theatre of Northern Greece, “The Knights”, direct-
ed by Stamatis Fasoulis - 20 & 21/7 / Municipal
Regional Theatre of Crete, “The Birds”, directed by
Giannis Kakleas - 10 & 11/8 / Neos Kosmos
Theatre, “The Supplicants”, directed by Vangelis
Theodoropoulos - 17 & 18/8) will share the
Epidaurus stage with Moliére’s Amphitryon, direct-
ed by Lefteris Vogiatzis (National Theatre of
Greece - 3 & 4/8).
Little Epidaurus
Little Epidaurus is going to be a youthful affair this
year. Dimitris Bitos takes on Sophocles’ Antigone
with a cast which –including Psarantonis, the
master of the Cretan lyre– promises surprises.
Following last year’s performance on the roof of
Greek National Railway headquarters, Anestis
Azas and Prodromos Tsinikoris return with a
spectacle based on the institution of the
Epidaurus festival and Epidaurus itself.
Classical Music
The twin axes of this year’s programming are the
participation of Greek state orchestras and the
presence of Greek artists with bright international
careers.
Opera
Turning to opera, the most expensive of all staged
spectacles, two productions, both of them inter-
esting, though for different reasons, have already
been confirmed: