"Erotokritos" by Vitsentzos Kornaros | Dir. Argyro Chioti
A National Theatre of Northern Greece Production
Venues:
Theatre of the Society for Macedonian Studies (1st Season/Year) | January 27 2023
Theatre of Lazaristes Monastery (2nd Season/Year) | November 21 2023
TOUR:
Municipal Theatre of Nicosia | 2024 Nicosia International Festival (Cyprus) | January 10, 2024
Photos by Mike Rafail
Α few words about the play
“Erotokritos” is a self-contained poetic universe of incredible richness and narrative power. The performance dives freely into its world, picking out sections that shine a light on timely issues relating to the limits of the individual will when it comes to transcending social norms. Retaining Kornaros’ exhilarating narrative, the production focuses on Aretousa, a woman who does not surrender herself passively to the “turnings of the cycle”, but asserts her right to self-determination with courage, passion and hope.
The performance employs a code familiar in contemporary theatre which emphasizes the power of narrative and, above all, of music: everything is born of and evolves through music, the music that is echoed constantly by the words and which is simultaneously a crucial medium for driving the plot. Music is the raw material of the performance, which draws on the musicality of speech and the human body to create a holistic embracing experience aimed, before all else, at the senses.
Poem: Rahil Fallahfar
Credits
Adaptation - Dramaturgical processing: Efthymis Theou, Concept - Direction: Argyro Chioti, Set: Eva Manidaki, Costumes: Angelos Mentis, Music: Lola Totsiou, Movement: Sofia Papanikandrou, Dimitris Sotiriou, Lighting: Tasos Palaioroutas, Musical coaching: Chrysa Toumanidou, Assistant to the director: Viki Kitsiou, Assistant to the set and costume designer: Elli Nalmpanti, Production Coordinator: Marily Ventouri
Cast: Theodora Loukas (Poet - Frosyni), Giannis Charisis (Poet - Pezostratos), Chara Giota, Ioanna Demertzidou, Aigli Katsiki, Anna Kopaka (Aretousa), Kostis Kapellidis (Erotokritos - electric bass, percussion), Ioannis Bastas(Erotokritos, saxophone), Konstantinos Cheilas (Erotokritos - piano), Panagiotis Papaioannou (King)
Musicians on stage: Natalia Giannaki (piano), Aliki Marda (cello)
Photos under that long black cloud