Philoctetes (1965), by Heiner Müller—the most important German playwright of the second half of the twentieth century—marks the author’s first engagement with ancient drama, which would become a constant source of inspiration throughout his work. Drawing on Sophocles while freely reinterpreting him, Müller creates a play that, although clearly rooted in the political impasses of its time—and especially in the legacy of Stalinism—can still be read today as a political work with strong contemporary resonances, but above all as a meditation on the relationship between body and politics. The body of the abandoned Philoctetes, a victim of his commitment to the common cause, is reclaimed by those who ruthlessly condemned him to suffering on Lemnos. Thus, in Müller’s world, where no deus ex machina is expected to appear, Philoctetes becomes useful as a corpse, once he is no longer of use alive. The human body and its fate, humanism and its limits, and a politics that reshapes the law according to its own needs are themes that speak directly to contemporary society and enter into close dialogue with this year’s theme for the program “All of Greece, One Culture.” The rights are granted by henschel SCHAUS .
Self-Portraits Beyond Political Correctness
— In what way are philosophers superior to other people?
— “Even if all laws were abolished, we would continue to live in exactly the same way!”
Lucian places philosophers and would-be philosophers up for sale in the marketplace, as figures such as Skarimbas, Gonatas, Souris, but also Embirikos and Sarantaris arrive on the scene—perhaps Theophilos as well, along with others who “took to the mountains so that the plain would not devour them.”
These are thinkers who, each in their own way, balanced between marginality and worldliness. Yet anyone who approaches them closely discovers that the roots of their thought are nourished by the same deep spring of humanism. Within the outline traced by these personalities and their writings, a dynamic sonic
Memory is not merely a repository of events; it is the mechanism through which human beings construct their identity. In the Odyssey, Ithaca constitutes the very condition of human existence—it is both a responsibility and a choice. But what happens when one disavows them?
Composer Lina Zachari collaborates with Elli Paspala, the resident creators of the Kournos Music Festival in Lemnos, as well as local amateur ensembles, for the music-visual performance “Lotus-Eaters or Responsibility”. An audio and visual gesture that traces the paths of collective memory on our own island of the lotus-eaters, of burden and duty, presented at the seaside settlement of prehistoric Myrina, forty years after it was brought to light.
A key point of reference for the project remains the landmark work The Island of the Lotus-Eaters (1990) by Stamos Semsis, based on poetry by Vasilis Nikolaidis, a work indelibly associated with Elli Paspala’s celebrated interpretation. Thirty-five years later, as the urban landscape transforms into an island of disconnection and the island itself increasingly assumes the characteristics of an urban environment, does there still remain space for the transcendent dimension of art as a catalyst for change and transformation?
Oh my sun, my lord sun, you wander across the sky, have you seen Moschabaris, have you seen my beloved?”
Elephas tiliensis theater group brings to life a rare traditional folktale from Milos using natural materials and relying solely on the actors’ bodies and voices as their tools. The story of a princess who shapes her companion with her own hands and, when she loses him, struggles to search for him at the edge of the world unfolds as a ritual of breathing life and spirit into matter. The magical game of theatre — creating entire worlds out of almost nothing — is reflected in the humble materials the princess needs to mold her beloved. The mystery of life begins with flour and water. Inner, emotional materials give breath and soul. The actors’ voices transform into rhythm, breath, and heartbeat, emphasizing the transition from inert matter to a living body. Under the music direction of Martha Mavroeidi, the five actors perform original compositions and songs, as well as selected traditional songs specially arranged and adapted for the production.
A dialogue with George Orwell’s book
The performance offers a human-centered interpretation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, focusing not so much on criticism and denunciation as on humanity’s capacity to coexist, to make amends, and to begin again. On the farm, balance has been disrupted. Humans have forgotten that strength does not mean only power and domination, but also responsibility. Through the radically different choice of reversing the roles—placing humans in the position of the animals and animals in the position of the humans—the stage becomes a space of understanding and empathy, where togetherness is placed at the center, above the pursuit of power. This reversal is not presented as an act of magic, but as a conscious collective agreement, emphasizing that change can only begin through dialogue and shared decision-making. Three performers on stage tell stories, play games and characters, and create music, songs, and sounds, shaping an atmosphere suitable for children of all ages. Through humor, vivid imagery, and theatrical devices that stimulate the audience’s imagination, the play gradually reveals its central theme: the loneliness of power and the erosion caused by the absence of togetherness.
Far back in the depths of time, Prometheus decides, out of compassion, to help a creature that until then was vague and undefined, a being called Man. He offers him wondrous gifts: awareness of his own existence, wisdom, and knowledge. In doing so, he transforms him into Humanity. Yet an ominous premonition overtakes the deity. Prometheus begins to fear that he may one day regret the power he bestowed upon Man, who now feels fearless and superior to all other creatures. Employing multiple artistic media, the performance seeks to function as a recorder both of the original “predictions” concerning the human species and of the final imprint it leaves upon the contemporary world.
Alongside the spoken text and the theatrical performance of the actor-performers—and in complete synchronization with them—an original visual film-documentary will be projected across the façade and the entire front length of the elevated stage. At times the film will interpret the text, at others undermine it, and at others underscore it. The aim is to create the illusion of a moving metope and living pediments, bringing ancient imagery into dialogue with the human condition of the present day.
A dramatic idyll in three acts, with Greek songs and dances
The dramatic idyll The Enchanted Shepherd by Spyridon Peresiadis is brought to life through a modern, lyrical interpretation that draws inspiration from memory and oral tradition.
The work serves as a vehicle for returning to rituals, in a long-gone world where nature has a voice and magic tests love. Through musical motifs, grotesque transformations, and folk sounds, this performance becomes a hymn to memory. The past evolves into a place of nostalgia and a tool for reinventing the present, all while remaining an ever-changing part of ourselves.
The Castle of Mytilene: Building on the Past is a diverse show that combines music and theatre, highlighting the events that have shaped the castle’s current form. The audience is virtually taken through seven milestone stops, each featuring a different performance. Each mudbrick of the Castle of Mytilene has been based on an earlier one. Different nations have built upon one another, in a continuous blend of civilizations, using many and diverse materials. How have people shaped the castle over the centuries, and how has the castle influenced those who have lived within its walls? Each different era, connected to the previous one, takes the baton, offering its own stone and contribution for the following era to consider. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow; the past as a guide; the East and the West; the evolution of the structure; always centered on the fusion of the new with the old, as manifested in the castle itself, the people, and art.
A cantata for soprano, wind instruments, and accordion
The cantata for soprano, wind instruments, and accordion Vrykolax in Kabeirio is a musical fairy tale for both the defeated and invincible vampires of our era, seen through the eyes of composer Apostolis Koutsogiannis in collaboration with poets Marlene Nika and Seme Selami.
It is a lyrical performance beneath the August moonlight at the archaeological site of Kabeirio on Lemnos, featuring the international soprano Afroditi Patoulidou and the distinguished instrumental ensemble Ventus Ensemble. The sculptures created by visual artist Filippos Vasileiou draw inspiration from Gregorio Dati’s Renaissance pictures, unveiling the myth’s diverse textures. Iakovos Polylas’ Forgiveness and Achilleas Paraschos’ The Vampire’s Son, two dark vampire novellas from the 19th century, serve as a reminder of an irrational universe, engaging with the original libretto of the creators and delivering a powerful message against the disenchantment of the world.
Between 1898 and 1899, French wanderer and linguist Hubert Pernot met the self-taught intellectual N. Kanellakis and recorded 114 traditional melodies from the island of Chios. A fortunate encounter! This was not the first time that composers explored this rich musical and cultural material: a prominent position among them is held by Maurice Ravel with his Cinq mélodies populaires grecques [Five Greek Folk Melodies, 1904-1906] and Michalis Adamis with his Folk Songs from Chios (1989).
Lefteris Veniadis selects twelve of these recorded folk songs from Chios to recreate and reintroduce them to the public. In this performance, he proposes an alternative, unified narrative of the local collective experience on stage, serving as a contrasting foil to a contemporary chorus. This dramaturgical venture aims to bring the past into the present while also looking to the future.