“What do tears taste like?” In a story that balances on the edge between reality and fantasy, Anaïs, an introverted 9-year-old girl, discovers after the loss of her beloved grandmother that no tears flow from her eyes. Accompanied by a peacock, she sets off on a journey to a parallel world at the core of the earth, one that connects the past with the future. There, in the underground waters, she will encounter ancient forms and deities from other civilisations, and will try to solve the riddle that will restore the natural flow of the earth’s waters and reconnect her with the deep roots of her family. The waters of the world, held by the Goddess Anahita, depend on the tears of a little girl. Three girls, using objects that can be found in a child’s bedroom, will narrate this magical adventure – and together with the children in the audience, they will discover the interlinking thread that connects the sources of human emotion with the sources of the earth.
The two most beautiful young people in the world; kings, gods and mortals; governesses and servants; messengers, pirates, grave robbers; triremes and fishing boats; battles, Artaxerxes and the people. Truly, “what poet ever brought to the stage such a strange tale,” where so many different elements coexist? This is Chaereas and Callirhoe by Chariton — the earliest surviving novel of European literature (1st century AD) — now adapted for the very first time for the stage in Greece as a kids and family performance, directed by Aris Laskos.
Two teenagers fall in love and, because of jealousy, become lost in another kind of Odyssey, crossing lands and seas from Syracuse to Babylon. A moving, years-long journey into adulthood unfolds in 70 minutes, performed by five actors. Through play, song, and constant role-changing, they approach the text from a contemporary perspective, shedding light on issues such as gender-based violence, misinformation, and self-discovery. Every human being, in a single moment, can behave inhumanely. But every human being also has the power to change and make amends.
Based on “Poems and drawings to young children”, by G. Seferis
There was a girl from Samos
who stuck her right hand in the sand
and with her other hand
she was holding a star
this girl from Samos
Seferis’s five-line poems, written in the style of limericks, create a world of their own, wonderful and funny, where the most bizarre things can happen naturally. Small, self-contained stories, starring unlikely characters from different parts of the world – girls, children, men, young and old, one in each limerick – come to life in a musical puppet vaudeville show. Shadow theater figures and two-dimensional puppets of various sizes come to life behind, on and around an original folding shadow puppet screen.
A double bass on stage comments, interrupts and develops the action. At the same time, electronic elements, loops and processed recordings function as sound tracks for each place: Beijing, Cairo, Congo or Brazil, a coast of Samos or the banks of the Ganges.. Images, light and music, form a vivid and playful poetic universe, in full conversation with the surreal spirit of Seferis’ limericks.
The theatre performance The Glass Mountains and the Ivory Plains brings to life a special fairy tale from the Cyclades through modern theatrical methods and a profound emotional connection to tradition, featuring storytelling, music, live painting, and physical theatre.
A young shepherd and an August fairy fall in love and create a family in the Overworld. When she and their child disappear, the shepherd sets out on a painful journey to find them. Guided by the four winds, he travels through a symbolic landscape of “glass mountains” and “ivory camps”, which stand for a process of maturation and hope.
The Mycenaean Acropolis of Agios Andreas on Sifnos turns into a vibrant fairy tale, inviting children, teenagers, and adults to a multi-sensory experience that connects different generations and brings out the power of folk storytelling. Accompanying activities enhance this experience: an experiential approach, the creation and performance of traditional music by a local instrumentalist, the reading and telling of local fairy tales by members of a local amateur group, and the visual art workshop “Zografigisi,” which is inspired by the practice of live painting used during the performance.
Combining theatre with 3D animation, The Will is a subversive performance for young audiences featuring an unexpected finale that addresses the significance of our civilization along with numerous other contemporary issues that will concern our society in the future.
Two siblings, Poseidon and Aurora, live in the virtual world of the internet. They neither work nor socialize; for every decision they are called upon to make, from the smallest to the most important, they rely on Artificial Intelligence for answers and solutions to the issues concerning them. Their daily routine unfolds within four walls until they receive news from a notary that alters the course of their lives. They inherit a historically significant castle from an uncle, which they view as an opportunity to help them realize their consumers’ dreams, once they utilize and exploit it. However, as they haven’t learnt how to think for themselves and make decisions, they turn to Artificial Intelligence for suggestions on how to make the most of the inheritance.
Following the successful performance of The Birthday by Georges Sari at the National Theatre of Greece, the group Elephas tiliensis (Dimitris Agartzidis and Despoina Anastasoglou) presents a new music production for children and grown-ups titled True Story or A Journey to the Island of the Moon. The performance is based on Lucian’s work, True Story, which is globally acknowledged as the first science fiction novel ever written.
Following the trend of his contemporary writers who crafted stories filled with incredible adventures to far-away and unexplored lands, Lucian describes the imaginary journey of a young man and his ship’s crew to the unknown. It features a fascinating voyage to the Moon, an interstellar war with immense extraterrestrial monsters, a giant sea creature that swallows the heroes’ ship, pirates and sea monsters, a trip to the land of the Makari and the Accursed, and the discovery of an unknown continent – all part of an incredible adventure. A human journey to the stars, the future, and the unfathomable, uncharted universe, even to this day. Truth or lies? Truth! As long as we can believe in fairy tales together.
Set in the heart of one of the Mediterranean’s most significant archaeological sites, the Cape of Santorini, the performance Sliding Slalom/Stroggyli is a site-specific event inspired by Nitsa Tzortzoglou’s novel When the Earth is Enraged.
Four actors guide the audience through a “slalom” that explores four eras: the prehistoric Stroggyli, Thera in 1978, the seven years of excavations from 1967 to 1974, and modern Santorini. The narrative unfolds at the archaeological site, incorporating insights from the traces left by people and natural disasters.
Spectators are not merely observers. They move through the space, connect to the story, follow the traces of a mysterious necklace, and participate in a scenic journey, where the past is not viewed as a museum element but as a vibrant and moving experience, open to reinterpretation. This journey culminates in an open contest of creative writing, where audience members become “storytellers,” and their most exceptional stories will be published in a collective volume, leaving a new mark on the grand narrative of this remarkable place.
The Mododentro Theatre Group presents an original and interactive music theatre performance based on Mania Douka’s book The Prince’s Crown and Other Stories (Kastaniotis Publishing, illustrated by Daniela Stamatiadi). An ordinary school trip to a museum transforms into an adventure for two children, Mania and Daniel, when, all of a sudden, a mysterious woman named Mrs Clo appears in front of them. In her hands, she holds an old, small flywheel that can awaken art objects with just one turn. As the flywheel turns for the first time, a sword trembles, ready to recount battles and triumphs. A crown is illuminated by an invisible light, revealing the lost glory of a forgotten kingdom. A golden bead whispers secret vows, and a vessel filled with warriors comes to life, ready for new adventures. A fairy-tale-like wandering unfolds across the prehistoric civilizations of Greece and a journey through the museum’s magical world, where art objects come out of their display cases, breathe, and move, becoming the heroes of an unpredictable story!
The Oneirodrama group, widely known for its polished, original, and interactive performances and experiential workshops, has created a conceptual performance for the whole family, titled PANDΩRA_25//AI. Inspired by ancient Greek mythology, this production explores the enduring impact of myths on art and contemporary society. Through an original theatrical composition, the myths of Prometheus, Epimetheus, Pandora, the Minotaur, Icarus, and Phaethon acquire new conceptual meaning while raising questions about the evolution of humanity, science, knowledge, technology, hubris, and individual responsibility. Centred around the character of Pandora – the first hybrid woman sent by the gods into the world – these myths enter the realm of Artificial Intelligence, standing alongside her or against her while exploring a new reality, a new perspective on technological advancement. How are children, as the citizens of tomorrow, positioned within this context, and how do adults ensure that this happens? Is Pandora a guilty woman, a destroyer, or someone who, through her sexual dynamics, becomes a synonym for evolution?
* The Oneirodrama group will launch parallel activities featuring experiential workshops for children and adults from the surrounding area starting on 10 July 2025.
The work Autumn Youth is an original theatre performance for teenagers, inspired by the youthful memories of people who grew up in Trikala and still live there today as members of the elderly community. It is the result of a broader artistic venture that combines oral storytelling, theatrical creation, and intergenerational encounters.
The group visited homes, coffee shops, and Open Care Centres for the Elderly in Trikala, conversing and recording stories, myths, and experiences of older residents about their teenage years (how they had fun, which places they frequented, which songs they loved, how they fell in love, etc).
Following the completion of the performances on 18 July 2025, an intergenerational workshop will take place where teenagers and elderly individuals will exchange stories, questions, and experiences, exploring concerns about the present and the past while revealing aspects of the local cultural heritage. Through this artistic activity, the past of Trikala returns to the present, aiming to create a shared space for connection, understanding, and creativity among different generations.