{"id":748,"date":"2020-12-10T14:48:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T14:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/?p=748"},"modified":"2022-02-05T10:05:11","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T10:05:11","slug":"defeats-to-lament-lives-to-celebrate-fragments-of-a-greek-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/defeats-to-lament-lives-to-celebrate-fragments-of-a-greek-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Defeats to Lament, Lives to Celebrate: Fragments of a Greek Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Aikaterini Delikonstantinidou<\/strong><a href=\"#end\" name=\"back\">*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#c69a9f\"><strong>Athens and Epidaurus Festival, Greece, June 5\u2013August 15, 2020.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"298\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-1-300x112.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-1-768x286.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>All theatre performances in this year\u2019s festival, or \u201cSubset \u2013 Fragment\u201d were presented in open-air venues. Photo: From the festival\u2019s official <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/greekfestival.gr\/\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Athens and Epidaurus Festival had planned to celebrate its 65th anniversary with more than 70 productions, but because of the corona pandemic only a quarter of them were presented, in the open-air venues of Epidaurus and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. In what follows, two of the festival\u2019s \u201cfragments\u201d claim our attention: director Dimitris Lignadis\u2019&nbsp; take on Aeschylus\u2019<em> The Persians<\/em>, and <em>Noah\u2019s Ark \/ Il diluvio universal<\/em>, an unconventional reconfiguration of Michelangelo Falvetti\u2019s homonymous work born of the collaboration of Rafi music theatre company and performance team Nova Melancholia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-1\">Video 1<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Live from Epidaurus | The Persians by Aeschylus | National Theatre of Greece (Livestream | 25.07.20)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iAF0sxmetPQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>The National Theatre of Greece announces that the premiere of <em>The Persians<\/em> will be livestreamed for the first time from the theatre of Epidaurus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exactly twenty-five hundred years ago, the Greek fleet under the command of the Athenian Themistocles and the Spartan Eurybiades defeated the Persian forces of King Xerxes in the Battle of Salamis. The allied victory of the Greeks decisively altered the course of the second Persian invasion of Greece: the Persian navy was destroyed, Xerxes\u2019 army was in a state of near collapse, and the king himself fled to Asia. What we now know about this turning point in history comes not only from the historical accounts of Herodotus and Thucydides, but also from Aeschylus\u2019 <em>The Persians<\/em> (472 B.C.), the oldest Greek tragedy to have survived in full,<a href=\"#end1\" name=\"back1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a> written by a man who is said to have fought in the battle of Salamis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contrary to what one might expect from a Greek playwright (as well as citizen and soldier), in Aeschylus\u2019 play the events at Salamis and their implications for the Persian army and empire are dramatized from the point of view of the Persians. The plot is set in the Persian capital, Susa. There, an assembly of elders (the nine-member chorus) is gripped by a sense of unease and alarm while expecting news of the outcome of the Persian campaign. Apprehension turns to dread when Queen Atossa, Xerxes\u2019 mother, wife of the deceased King Darius, joins them and recounts an ominous dream she has had. The terrible truth it encodes, none other than the disaster that befell the Persians, is soon confirmed by a Messenger. Desperate, the Queen and chorus summon the ghost of Darius for counsel, but he only condemns Xerxes\u2019 hubristic actions. By the time a devastated Xerxes reaches Susa to mourn together with his loyal subjects, the chorus evinces signs of alienation from their King; their once unwavering trust in his God-given power seems to have suffered a heavy blow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-751\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-3.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-3-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-3-768x481.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>The chorus of <em>The Persians<\/em>. Photo: From the festival\u2019s official <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/greekfestival.gr\/\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chorus\u2019 ingeniously tempered responses to the acts of speech that propel the drama of <em>The Persians<\/em> forward\u2014in a drama famous for its lack of much conventional action\u2014in fact constitute this production\u2019s strongest asset. Lignadis has directed an exquisite chorus. Their seamless transmission of intellectual and affective states was a delight to witness. Although it took them a couple of minutes to let their bodies and the long sticks they were holding (now as spears, now as oars . . .) flow with the currents of the choreography, once they did there was no faltering in their almost dervish-like, enchanting movements. The musical backcloth, masterfully woven by Yiorgos Mavridis\u2019 (Greek) Macedonian lyra, deepened the emotional impact of the mystagogical experience with which this chorus enthralled us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"546\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-752\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-4.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-4-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-4-768x524.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-4-130x90.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>The ghost of King Darius that the queen and the chorus have summoned. Photo: From the festival\u2019s official <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/greekfestival.gr\/\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lignadis stayed close to Aeschylus\u2019 text for the most part, assisted by Theodoros Stefanopoulos\u2019 fine translation. But he turned the original\u2019s chorus of elders into young and robust men, which created an uncanny yet welcome effect. It was as if the dead Persian warriors to whom the play refers again and again have come to haunt the heart of the Persian empire. The chorus embodied the ghosts of youth lost, of dreams ruined, and played out an attempt to come to terms with a collective trauma caused by the narcissistic delusions of an arrogant leader. I only wish that Darius\u2019 ghost, played by Nikos Karathanos, had been half as resonant. Instead, it sometimes, rather inscrutably, bordered on the comic\u2014and that is to put it mildly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-753\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-5.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-5-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>King Xerxes arrives at Susa in tatters. Photo: From the festival\u2019s official <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/greekfestival.gr\/\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second strongest asset was the performance of the Messenger, by Argyris Pantazaras. No unnecessary bravado, no hesitation, sharp throughout, heart-rending at times; pitch-perfect! On the contrary, Queen Atossa\u2019s rendering by Lydia Koniordou (whom we could barely hear from the upper rows despite the venue\u2019s unique acoustics) and Xerxes\u2019 by Argyris Ksafis were too pompous and too understated respectively. And their costumes, fabric and skin embroidered with Aeschylus\u2019 text, were more striking than helpful as they drew too much attention to themselves to the detriment of the performative and emotive intent of the actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-2\">Video 2<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u0391\u03b9\u03c3\u03c7\u03cd\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5 \u03a0\u0395\u03a1\u03a3\u0395\u03a3 \u03c3\u03b5 \u03c3\u03ba\u03b7\u03bd\u03bf\u03b8\u03b5\u03c3\u03af\u03b1 \u0394\u03b7\u03bc\u03ae\u03c4\u03c1\u03b7 \u039b\u03b9\u03b3\u03bd\u03ac\u03b4\u03b7 | 24, 25, 26.7 - \u03a0\u03c1\u03b5\u03bc\u03b9\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1 - \u0395\u03c0\u03af\u03b4\u03b1\u03c5\u03c1\u03bf\u03c2 [Official Video]\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KIcMaVLYPKI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>One of the trailers for the festival\u2019s production of <em>The Persians<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lignadis\u2019 and his team\u2019s affair with Aeschylus\u2019 classic was a decent one. One of its feats to be specially commended was that it directed emphasis away from the age-old debate \u201cIs the play sympathetic to or condescending of the Persians?\u201d and toward a most timely question: \u201cWhose defeat are we to lament now? And whose megalomania is responsible for it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-6.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-6-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption><em>Il diluvio universale<\/em> was originally composed by Italian composer and priest Michelangelo Falvetti (1642\u201393). Photo: Web<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"287\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-755\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-7.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-7-300x108.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-7-768x276.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Promotional photo from the production of <em>Noah\u2019s Ark \/ Il diluvio universale<\/em>. Photo: From the festival official <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/greekfestival.gr\/\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Noah\u2019s Ark \/ Il diluvio universale<\/em>, based on Michelangelo Falvetti\u2019s seventeenth-century baroque oratorio, interweaved opera and performance art to explore, much like Lignadis\u2019 <em>The Persians<\/em>, how we can make sense of our losses, work through and grow into them. On the stage of Little Epidaurus, the elements of Nature, Water, Fire, Air and Earth, conspire with Divine Justice and Death to cleanse the world from human vice and from the latter\u2019s imprint on the planet. The species that survive the \u201cuniversal flood\u201d by boarding the Ark unleash a different flood of free associations, both multivocal and colorful (literally and figuratively). Coursing through its streams, archetypal symbols as well as primal desires and fears drift up to consciousness\u2014and conscience\u2014not only current environmental and ecocritical concerns, but also sociopolitical public debates regarding neo-fascism, racism, gender and sexual violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-756\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-8.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-8-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>The performers (from the left: Anastasia Kotsali, Nikos Spanatis, Yiannis Filias, Yiorgos Roupas, Lito Messini) as passionate demonstrators. Photo: Thomas Daskalakis (ndp photo agency)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Falvetti\u2019s harmonies and excerpts from the original libretto (by Vincenzo Giattini); Greek pop music and poetic interventions; musical, vocal and dramatic improvisations by an ensemble of talented musicians and proficient lyrical performers;<a href=\"#end2\" name=\"back2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a> a pro-love demonstration, rainbow-colored and dotted with placards alluding to ongoing domestic and foreign rights claims, all join to make up a patchwork fabula, as ardent as it is graceful. Although the performance\u2019s critical reflectivity slipped into didacticism a few times near the end, its consciousness-raising energy was not compromised. That was an honest and well-executed attempt by the teams of Rafi and Nova Melancholia to productively converse with the older text and let it speak to the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-3\">Video 3<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u039c\u03b9\u03ba\u03c1\u03cc \u0398\u03ad\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u03bf \u0391\u03c1\u03c7\u03b1\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u0395\u03c0\u03b9\u03b4\u03b1\u03cd\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5 | \u0397 \u03ba\u03b9\u03b2\u03c9\u03c4\u03cc\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u039d\u03ce\u03b5\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i4HFWFslvSA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>One of the trailers for the festival\u2019s production of <em>Noah\u2019s Ark \/ Il diluvio universal<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end1\" href=\"#back1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a> More information about the performance and its cast by the National Theatre of Greece can be found <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.n-t.gr\/en\/events\/The_Persians\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>. It is worth noting that this is not the first time the festival hosts a production of <em>The Persians<\/em>; see Savas Patsalidis\u2019 review of a 2009 production <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/1\/war-over-the-persians\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end2\" href=\"#back2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a> The names of the cast and contributors appear at the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/greekfestival.gr\/festival_events\/i-kivotos-toy-noe\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a> of the festiva.<a name=\"end\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/04\/Me.jpg?resize=230%2C230\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end\" href=\"#back\">*<\/a><strong>Aikaterini Delikonstantinidou <\/strong>holds a PhD in Theatre Studies from the School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Her articles have been published in numerous volumes and journals, her research work has been presented at national and international conferences, and she is the recipient of several grants and scholarships. She is currently working as a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, focusing on applications of Digital Theatre in Adult Education. She has been a member of the web team for and a regular contributor to <em>Critical Stages<\/em> since 2014. Her monograph, titled <em>Latinx Reception of Greek Tragic Myth: Healing (and) Radical Politics <\/em>was published by Peter Lang in the summer of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Copyright <strong>\u00a9<\/strong> 2020 Aikaterini Delikonstantinidou<br><em>Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/88x31.png\" alt=\"Creative Commons Attribution International License\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This work is licensed under the<br>Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performance-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/Photo-5.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":261,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/documentary-theatre-about-aesthetics-and-politics-an-interview-with-martha-bouziouri\/","url_meta":{"origin":748,"position":0},"title":"Documentary Theatre: About Aesthetics and Politics. Interview with Martha Bouziouri","author":"Aikaterini Delikonstantinidou","date":"October 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Savas Patsalidis* . . . It is only when we exit the comfort of approval and embrace the risk of the \u201cdangerous\u201d recipient that real impact is achieved. (Martha Bouziouri) Martha Bouziouri. Photo: Thomas Arsenis Martha Bouziouri is a documentary theatre maker and social anthropologist with a multidisciplinary background.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/10\/image4-7.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/10\/image4-7.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/10\/image4-7.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/10\/image4-7.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":643,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":748,"position":1},"title":"Italy","author":"Aikaterini Delikonstantinidou","date":"December 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A contradictory picture of Italy\u2019s contemporary playwriting and theatre translation culture emerged from our survey and interviews. Many experts confirmed that interest in new plays has increased manifold in the past ten years, and our survey shows that activity levels are high. However, our qualitative data suggests that contemporary playwriting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Fabulamundi Workbook&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Fabulamundi Workbook","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/fabulamundi-workbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image19.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image19.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image19.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image19.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":649,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/romania\/","url_meta":{"origin":748,"position":2},"title":"Romania","author":"Aikaterini Delikonstantinidou","date":"December 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Romanian experts appeared to have the lowest confidence levels in the popularity of contemporary playwriting among all the countries we surveyed. Our data suggests that opportunities for local playwrights to earn their living are very limited and support systems are lacking for writers and translators. The state offers no incentives\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Fabulamundi Workbook&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Fabulamundi Workbook","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/fabulamundi-workbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image29.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image29.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image29.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image29.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/ceci-nest-pas-un-theatre-theatre-in-the-age-of-covid\/","url_meta":{"origin":748,"position":3},"title":"Ceci n\u2019est pas un th\u00e9\u00e2tre: Theatre in the Age of COVID","author":"Aikaterini Delikonstantinidou","date":"December 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Mark Brown* Abstract The response of many theatremakers to the crisis ushered in by the coronavirus pandemic has been to turn to making work on the internet. Some have seen online theatre simply as a necessity, a lifeboat in which theatre can survive until conditions allow for a return to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Special Topic&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Special Topic","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/special-topic\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/10\/featured-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/10\/featured-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/10\/featured-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/10\/featured-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":882,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/qui-a-peur-du-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":748,"position":4},"title":"Qui a peur du th\u00e9\u00e2tre ?","author":"Aikaterini Delikonstantinidou","date":"December 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Camille Khoury* Swedstage Online, Su\u00e8de, Stockholm, 9 novembre 2020. Philip Sundset Granat, Corrado Di Lorenzo, Virpi Pahkinen, Pontus Sundset Granat, Sakari Romero Tuurala, Hui-Han Hu Gustavsson dans Deep Time de Virpi Pahkinen. Photo\u00a0: Jos\u00e9 Figueroa Le 9 novembre 2020, le Festival su\u00e9dois Swedstage pr\u00e9sentait sa cinqui\u00e8me \u00e9dition dans une version\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Performance Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Performance Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/performance-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image9.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image9.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image9.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image9.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":646,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/poland\/","url_meta":{"origin":748,"position":5},"title":"Poland","author":"Aikaterini Delikonstantinidou","date":"December 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2018, one of Poland\u2019s most influential theatre critics, Jacek Sieradzki, famously declared the \u201cend of the contemporary Polish plays problem\u201d as part of his final judging report for the 24th National Competition for Staging Contemporary Polish Plays. He wrote: \u201cThis competition was created [in 1994] to encourage Polish authors\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Fabulamundi Workbook&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Fabulamundi Workbook","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/fabulamundi-workbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/featured-poland.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/featured-poland.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/featured-poland.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/featured-poland.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=748"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1444,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions\/1444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}