For the summer season 2011-2012 the National Theatre of Northern Greece is going to present the following co-productions with
Acropol Theatre:
- "Our Great Circus" by Iakovos Kambanellis. Music by Stavros Xarhakos. Director: Sotiris Hatzakis. Sets - Costumes: Ersi Drini. Lighting: Antonis Panagiotopoulos. Distribution: Giorgos Armenis, Tasos Nousias, Marina Aslanoglou
- "The Knights" by Aristophanes. Translation - director: Stamatis Fasoulis, Sets: Manolis Pantelidakis, Costumes: Deni Vachlioti, Lighting: Lefteris Pavlopoulos, Music: Γιώργος Χριστιανάκης. Main distribution: Petros Filippidis, Giannis Zouganelis
"OUR GREAT CIRCUS"
This play written by Iakovos Kambanellis is considered a milestone in new Greek theatre and the Greek social and political history. Through songs, satirical and dramatic episodes this play goes across all the important moments in contemporary Greek history: Turkish rule, King Otto's reign, the Asia Minor disaster, the Greco-Italian war of 1940 are only some of the main incidents which this play describes, making up a documentary which remains unchangeable in time and more timely now than ever.
"Our Great Circus" was staged for the first time in summer 1973 in Athinaion theatre. Stavros Xarchakos composed the music for the performance and Evgenios Spatharis made the sets. The main roles were interpreted by Kostas Kazakos, Tzeni Karezi, Dionysis Papagiannopoulos, Christos Kalavrouzos and Timos Perlegkas. The songs were interpreted by Nikos Xylouris.
The massive attendance and extended success among the public of this play's first staging irritated the military dictatorship authorities, who banned the performances. After the fall of dictatorship, the play was restaged in Acropol Theatre.
Note from the Artistic Director & Director of the performance
"Our Great Circus" is a tribute to the tradition of Greece's adventure as a nation. It is a popular epic tale which vividly illustrates the virtues as well as the diseases of the Greek people, the rise and the fall in many instances, the fights and agonies of a people who attempts to step into its ambiguous future, bearing the same time its unique historical load. The founder of dramaturgy in after-war Greece dives into the "divine comedy" of the ruthless Greek narrative.
"Our Great Circus" will be presented in the end of June in the
Forest Theatre of Thessaloniki (Theatro Dassous), followed by an extensive summer tour around Greece.
"THE KNIGHTS"
"The Knights" is the first among the surviving plays by Aristophanes. The play is primarily a political comedy performed in 424 BC at the Lenaia festival where it won the first prize. The play features serious criticism of Cleon, the leader of the Democratics, while the role was held by Aristophanes himself, since no other actor would dare to play the part.
Plot
"The Knights" describes the fight of Paphlagonia against the sausage seller Agoracritus, mocking the way politics is performed in order to gain public acceptance.
While Paphlagonia faces the sausage seller, the play points the finger at the demagogy used by politicians and the vices of political power, its populism and briberies, the political parties' own agendas and at the same time the naivety that often characterizes the people. It is probably the most provoking political satire by Aristophanes, which makes reference to people and events in the Peloponnesian War, but still remains contemporary in its dramaturgy.
This performance's premiere is programmed for the beginning of July in the
Forest Theatre of Thessaloniki (Theatro Dassous), followed by performances in the
Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus (20-21 /07), and an extensive summer tour up to the months of August and September in many regions around Greece.
Translated by
Marianna Kaplatzi