OPENING: Municipal Theatre of Xanthi, 07/02/2019 (20:30)
RUNNING TIME: 100 min (including interval)
TICKET SALES: VIVA.gr
The play is on tour across Northern Greece (Drama, Kavala, Serres, Sochos, Naoussa, Veria, Kilkis, Giannitsa, Katerini, Edessa, Florina, Orestiada, Komotini, Alexandroupoli etc.) with the support of the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace.
Director’s Note
The play Laurels Bitter Laurels written by Dimitris Kehaidis and Eleni Haviara is of great importance. It belongs to Modern Greek dramaturgy and presents the background, wheeling and dealing as well as the overall mentality characterizing customer relationships in a scenery dominated by petty political interests.
Four political party leaders machinate, bluff, plot against and finally take the risk to lose their friendship and honor for the sake of the parliamentary system and their so-called “positions” during the pre-electoral period.
Although the play was written shortly after the post-Junta period, it is so up to the minute as nothing has changed all these years. The play is characterized as satire but deep down it expresses something really sad, since personal interest turns to be more important than the public one, with the use of intrigues and conspiracies through the art of telling convincing lies or fake truths; a common phenomenon in politics too.
We have to do with a fight that takes place in the “boxing ring” of political nonexistence, with hits below the belt, offering us –once more– the chance not only to mock it but also to enjoy ourselves since this fight can be perceived both as a joke and a familiar phenomenon.
Against this kind of timeless reality, maybe humor, perceived as a way of defense- protection, could be the solution; so nothing can prevent us from laughing without hesitation.
CONTRIBUTORS
Director-Music Supervisor: Andreas Koutsourelis
Sets-Costumes: Christos Broufas
Lighting: Tasos Dailidis
Assistant Director: Stathis Voutos
Production Photography: Tasos Thomoglou
Production Coordinator: Ilias Kotopoulos
Cast in alphabetical order
Kostas Itsios: Tasos
Nikos Nikolaou: Vasilis
Dimitris Palaiochoritis / Vasilis Seimenis: Kostas
Stathis Voutos: Alekos