new - News

“TIN CITY”
CHILDREN’S THEATRE - VASSILIKO THEATRE
Opening: Sunday, October 30, 2011

The National Theatre of Northern Greece presents the work of EVGENIA FAKINOU “TIN CITY”, with music by GIANNIS MARKOPOULOS, directed by FOTINI BAXEVANI. The play will be presented by the Children’s Theatre of NTNG, at the Vassiliko Theatre, from Sunday, October 30, 2011.

PLOT:

Tin City is a city different from the others. It is not made of bricks, stone, concrete or glass. It is entirely built of tins. And its inhabitants are…what else? Tin cans. Empty, rusty, old tin cans. They all ended up in a dump and they decided to make their own city, so as they can leave on their own at peace.
The tin cans living here have strange names: Melenios (Honey), Sardelas (Sardines), Militsa (Apples), Voutirenios (Buttery), Sofos (Wise), Okay-bam-bam. Before thrown away, Melenios carried honey, Sardelas carried sardines, Militsa carried apple compote, Voutirenios carried butter, Okay-bam-bam carried cool drink and Sofos coffee.
They were all living very happy in Tin City, till one day…

Our familiar tin cans come to life at the performance of the National Theater of Northern Greece, in an original combination of object theatre, black theatre and animated cartoons. An atmospheric, joyful performance set with the use of useless materials, modern technology and theatrical effects!


NOTE BY EVGENIA FAKINOU:

Thirty six years later…
It’s been thirty six years since “Tin City” was performed for the first time, “a theatrical performance mythicizing objects and demythicizing humans”, as Kostas Georgousopoulos wrote in the newspaper Vima, on January 23 of 1976.
During all these years, its stories have been performed all over Greece by teachers in primary schools and kindergartens, by cultural associations, as well as by professionals, as the Thessalian Theatre and the Theater Workshop of Thessaloniki.

Children’s hands have created, drew or played with used up tin cans, and that was Tin City’s greatest contribution, as it brought kids closer to the age-old, simple toys, and encouraged non-professionals to experiment with puppet show.

Tin City’s stories convey values that cannot be skewed over the years, and I deem it an honour that Ladenios’s story is being played every year on the anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising.

I am moved by the fact that Sotiris Hatzakis –our then cooperator and student in a drama school- today presents, as the artistic director of NTNG, the Tin City, directed imaginatively by Fotini Baxevani.

Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to Giannis Markopoulos, who has worked profit-free and with great enthusiasm on the music for all four of five Tin City’s acts.

I also reminisce all those who, in one way or another, offered their help during the difficult first years: our actors Antonis Antoniou, Rena Kazakou and the unforgettable Pavlos Sidiropoulos, as well as Antonis Kafetzopoulos (owing to whom we had a discount on the recordings) and the journalists who supported our innovative theatre with the used up tin cans – which, at the time, was not self-evident.

In 1975, a short while after the collapse of the dictatorship, we were experiencing a mental exaltation and were convinced that everything would turn out for the best. Nowadays, in 2011, we live in stress, agony, despair and the uncertainty of not being able to control our own future. I would say that, since then, Tin City has never been so timely.


DIRECTOR’S NOTE:

Images, sounds of the past...
A black and white TV screen, some music phrases, a child’s eyes that, through Fakinou’s stories, get in touch with situations and matters of the “grow-ups”…

Finally, there were no princesses and princes and these tin cans reminded me of familiar faces…

Something didn’t seem right then, I could feel it, and the Tin City’s heroes said so, but the good always wins, having friendship, solidarity, patience as its weapon, together with insistence and hard work.

That’s what I remember from this time, that’s what I’ve been taught, that’s what I’ve grown with and that’s what I’m still carrying with me!
And what a happy coincidence! Me being the director of Tin City at such a difficult time! Bad news and the dead end of the days lose their power during the rehearsal, through the enthusiasm of all the cooperators! I thank them all very much!

We may now belong to world of the “grown-ups”, but we all try to become children once again, instead of digging up old stories, and discover from scratch the world and the human values, along with our young spectators!
I’m full of hope! : )



Performance opening: Sunday 30/10/2011
As soon as the performances in Thessaloniki will be completed, the play “TIN CITY” will be transferred to the Badminton Theatre of Athens for a limited number of performances.

Performances:
Tuesday - Wednesday: 10.30 (for schools), Sunday 11:00 & 3.00 (for the public)

Ticket Prices
General admission: Sundays 10 €, School tickets: Tuesday – Friday 7 €

Contributors:
Director: Fotini Baxevani
Scenery –Costumes-Constructions-Video art: Giorgos Koftis
Stage lighting: Stelios Tzolopoulos
Video creation & installation: Giannis Peiralis
Music instructor: Nikos Voudouris
Assistant director: Domna Kavakidou
Assistant scenographer: Kleopatra Alagialoglou
Production manager: Athina Samartzidou

Performers (in alphabetical order): Eirini Ampoumogli (Militsa), Dimitris Diakosavvas (Melenios, Broom), Christos Ntaraktsis (Sardelas), Nikos Ortetzatos (Sofos, Spring, Broom), Dimitris Papiopoulos (Kalamaris, Ladenios), Kiki Strataki (Melenios’s Mother, Scarecrow, Small tin can, Emerod, Bottle), Evanthia Sofronidou (Voutirenios, Spring), Virginia Tamparopoulou (Sun, Maron, Bottle), Evangelos Chalkiadakis (Okay-Bam-Bam, Ultramer, Squeezer, Shoes).


TRANSLATED BY THOMAI GKAMAGKARI