News

Τhe National Theatre of Northern Greece and the “Alexander the Great International Institution” signed a collaboration accord today, according to the press conference that took place today in the Vassiliko (Royal) Theatre.
 
On behalf of the NTNG, the President of the Administrative Board, Ms. Meni Lysaridou, the Artistic Director Mr. Giannis Vouros, the Vice President of the Board, Mr. Philippos Grapsas, and the Μembers of the Βoard, Mr. Grigoris Valtinos, Mr. Dimitris Chalkias and Mr. Giorgos Kiourtsidis. The International Institution was represented by the President of the High Authority of the institution, Ms. Nina Gatzoulis (who made a Skype intervention from Boston USA), the President of the Executive Secretariat, Mr. Dionysis Paschalis, the Vice President Epaminondas Fahantidis, the Chief Financial Officer Mr. Athanasios Matzoukas, and the Artistic Director of the Institution, Mr. Efthimis Mavridis.
 

As outlined in the relevant compliance, in the context of their objectives that are specified in the respective legal restrictions on their operation, the NTNG and the Alexander the Great Foundation agree to proceed to a mutual collaboration which consists in the following referents  – which are indicative, but not restrictive:

The agreement will promptly begin with the realization of the performance “Godspell” in the auditorium of the Institution in Pieria, on Sunday July the 20th, while during the wintertime it will expand to the implementation of the educational program “F@ce_Φό-ΡΑ,” which will have cyber bullying as its subject matter, and will be actualized exclusively by the NTNG in the theatrical season 2014–2015.

Ms. Meni Lyssaridou was the first to speak, characterizing the President, Mr. Dionysis Paschalis “an alerted Greek, known for his big community work, and also for his contribution to the revival of the National Institution in Pieria.”
“Today’s agreement is the continuation of the strategy that we, as the administration, along with the artistic director, selected for the NTNG a year ago. Alongside the artistic work, we gave prominence to the educational and social role of the National Theatre and aimed at extroversion. The National Theatre, having a great history and a fully creative present, opened its doors and meets great reception anywhere nowadays, in a particularly positive way,” said Ms. Lysaridou, quoting Odysseas Elytis.
Referring to the signed agreement, she said that it is of “historical significance for the NTNG, as it is the first time we get connected to the Diaspora.”

“Having the artistic history of the NTNG and the universal glory of the Greek civilization as an invaluable tool,” she underlined, “we have the opportunity to risk and get evaluated through a modern cultural achievement. This is the goal of the International Institution of Alexander the Great, and the Diaspora is the creative vehicle for us to reach it.”
Eventually, she welcomed Ms. Gatzoulis, referring to her as the “exceptional intellectual and vigorous child of the Diaspora.”
 

Ms. Gatzoulis thanked the administration of the NTNG for the collaboration, and consequently she made a reference to the mission and goals of the International Institute of Alexander the Great, emphasizing the fact that it is a non-profit organization which was created for the promotion of the study of the work of Alexander the Great. “The objectives of the Institutions are exclusively set for the common good, they are intellectual, social, artistic and cultural,” she said, while she pointed out that its activities include the effort to establish the institution as a World Amfictyonic Centre for Macedonians.
 
Mr. Pashalis highlighted the common goal of the NTNG and the International Institution, which is the promotion and preservation of our cultural identity. “We decided to sign today a protocol of collaboration in order to coordinate our activities in domains of common interest, especially in what concerns the arts and cultures” were his distinct words, emphasizing that the “turn to the arts and cultures is the strongest way for us to feel proud of our heritage, draw strength from its wealth, and hence encourage the creation of proactive and conscious citizens, in order to approach the future with the sensitivity, the optimism and the neediness that befits a people like us. At the end of his intervention, he expressed his acknowledgements to the “forceful, innovative and extrovert NTNG Administrative Board.”
 
On his behalf, Mr. Vouros, after expanding on the previous year’s outgoing activities, he pointed out that this collaboration is part of this extrovert policy. He talked about the two actions that begin straight away (Godspell and F@ce_Φό-ΡΑ, which deals with cyber bullying) and finished his speech saying that “what comes next are actions that will concern not only the local population, but also the Greeks that live abroad, having naturally as a goal and leading lights our natural heritage.”

“We feel very happy to participate in such activities organized by the NTNG, that are not only associated with extroversion, but also with its superhuman effort not only to survive, but also open his wings to the outside world,” was the statement of Mr. Grigoris Valtinos, a member of the administrative board of the NTNG. Consequently, he recalled an older greater world tour of Oedipus Rex, where he participated himself, pinpointing that “the Greeks are still highly regarded by everyone in the world.” “Through organizations of this kind, we can see that there are Greeks all over the world, Greeks that love us and want to unite with us. I am happy because now there is a way for this to happen. An organization like the National Theatre made possible what the State couldn’t have made possible. We hope to find companions on our way,” he concluded.
 
“Our civilization is that which we can export” said Mr. Fahantidis on his behalf, while he made a special reference to the Greeks who live abroad and their relation to Greece. “The collaboration between the Institution and the NTNG will possibly be the best collaboration of the Institution,” he said.
 
On his behalf, Mr. Matzoukas mentioned the International Institution’s endeavours in the fields of culture, education and the environment.
 
“I believe that there is an incredible dynamic in this collaboration,” highlighted Mr. Mavridis in the end, mentioning that “on the one side there is artistic inspiration, and on the other there is technocratic know-how.”