16

Co-production by Attis Theatre and Theatre A in Moscow (in Russian language)
Α’ Performance: May 13, 1996, Attis Theatre, Athens, Greece

1996

13 – 24 March, Attis Theatre, Athens, Greece
29 April, Pushkin Theatre, International Chekhov Festival, Moscow, Russia
2 June, Byzantine Church of St. Irene, International Istanbul Theatre Festival, Istanbul, Turkey
8, 9 June, Teatro Escorxador, Sitges Theatre Internacional, Sitges, Spain
7 July, Escola D. Antonio da Costa, Festival de Teatro de Almada, Almada, Portugal
19, 20, 21 July, Teatro Romano di Nora ,La Notte dei Poeti, Cagliari, Sardegna
8 August, Amphitheatre, International Festival of Toga, Toga, Japan
1, 2, 3 October, Rigoberta Menchu, Madrid Sur, Madrid, Spain
6, 7 October, Dramski Teatar, MOT Festival, Skopja, F.Y.R.O.M.

1997

4 – 12 January, Attis Theatre, Athens, Greece
9, 10 March, Cultural Centre of Municipality of Stavroupolis, Thessaloniki, Cultural Capital of Europe 1997, Greece
18 – 31 March, Attis Theatre, Athens
22 July, Budva Castle, Theatre City Budva, Montenegro, Yugoslavia
8, 9 September, National Theatre of Yerevan, International Festival, Yerevan, Armenia
18, 19 October, National Theatre, Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan

1998

8, 9, 10 April, La Casa del Teatro, Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota, Bogota, Colombia

It is creative individuals of varying outlook who promote the art of theatre, in my opinion. Many work for the preservation of tradition, others for its rejection and others for its renewal. Terzopoulos is one of the revivers of the theatre and is considered one of Europe’s most important pioneer directors, especially for his significant studies of Greek tragedy. In his performance, he brings together the archaic and the modern.

He comes from a country with firmly incorporated values of cultural heritage and is among the artists, who with their creativity and their work try to defend those values, whenever they questioned, distorted and abused.

His personal view of the world is always present with clarity and coherence in his works. His theatre conquers the audience not with impressive, superficial scenic solutions but with his personal aesthetics revealing on stage what is useful and essential. Terzopoulos believes that the theatre can in effect change reality and that it can provide authentic answers to issues regarding the nature, life and fate of man.

Some years ago, I saw a performance of the Quartet directed by Terzopoulos during the International Theatre Festival in Quebec. I was impressed. I was not aware then of Heiner Müller’s work, I could not understand a word of Greek and yet I fell in love with this unique performance. I understood everything, the staging approach, the actor’s interpretational nuances and the author’s message.

I asked Theodoros to stage this work again with Russian actors. He agreed and went on to create an entirely different version of the Quartet. Then in Thessaloniki we played both versions of the Quartet in one performance. The first part in Greek and the second in Russian. I’ll never forget the moment when during the performance of the Russian Quartet the Greek actors came on stage and both languages were uttered simultaneously. This extraordinary example can serve in broadening the limits of expression in modern theatre.

With the Quartet and the Medeamaterial we have travelled with Theodoros all over the world and everywhere we had a wonderful reception and comprehension without translation!…

I would like to add something about Terzopoulos’ theatre: As soon as the curtain opens, without knowing the director, you immediately understand that it is a play directed by Terzopoulos. This is the Maestro’s seal.

Άλλα Ντεμίντοβα, 15 November 1999, Moscow