Cypriot theater week in Athens
With two performances on September 20 and 21, the Cyprus Center of the International Theater Institute in collaboration with the National Theater of Greece present the first “Cypriot Theater Week”, in Athens, on the stages of the National Theatre.
The goal of the organization is the promotion and knowledge of contemporary Cypriot theatrical creation in the Greek area, the promotion of notable theatrical productions outside the Cypriot borders, as well as the creation of an artistic dialogue, with Greek theater groups and the general public.
In this year’s, first, organization of the “Cypriot Theater Week”, which is an evolution of the “Cypriot Theatrical Week in Athens”, two productions are participating which were presented on the Cypriot theater stages in 2020 and 2021.
The first is the performance “A German Life”, by the multi-award winning Christopher Hampton. The specific monologue is performed by the acclaimed actress Despina Bembedeli, while the direction is by Andreas Arauzos, produced by Satirikos Theater and Alpha Square.
The play is based on the life and testimony of Brünnhilde Pomzel (1911-2017), who was Joseph Goebbels’ secretary. Author Christopher Hampton drew on the testimonies Pomzel gave when she finally broke her silence to a group of Austrian filmmakers in 2016, shortly before her death at the age of 106.
The performance that will be given on the Main Stage – Chiller Building, on September 20.
The second performance is the iconic work of modern drama “Waiting for Gondo” by the Irish writer, poet and playwright Samuel Beckett.
The production is presented by AntiLogos theater, adapted and directed by Kostas Silvestrou, with the actors Izel Seylani and Giorgos Kyriakou. Beckett’s foundational text is presented in the Cypriot dialect, Greek and Turkish. The director Kostas Silvestros places the two heroes of the play on the green line, in Nicosia, underlining through his directorial approach the need for communication between the two heroes.
The production was awarded in Turkey at the Maltepe Theater Festival in Istanbul, receiving the Director’s Award and the Best Actor Award – out of a row – to Izel Seylani and Giorgos Kyriakou.
The performance will take place at the “Katina Paxinou” Stage – Rex Theater on September 21.
The “Cypriot Theater Week” is organized by the Cyprus Center of the International Theater Institute, with the support of the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus and the Educational Office of the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Athens – House of Cyprus.