After the Smyrna Catastrophe, around 12.000 refugees from Ionia, Thrace and Pontus arrived at the city of Volos. In 1923 the creation of a refugee settlement began, which was later called Nea Ionia (New Ionia) and evolved into a small community. Most of the refugees were working in tobacco factories, while they soon began establishing football clubs. One of them was Niki Sports Club, whose story begins in 1924.
Part a: Dressing-Room
In the in-between space of the team’s dressing-room, we follow the journey of the refugees and their arrival at Volos, their integration into the society and the creation of Niki Sports Club.
Through the use of complicated technological media, multiple sound sources, contemporary electronic music inspired by traditional Smyrna songs, speech and movement, we follow the journey through the sea until the first couple of years in the new land.
Part b: The Match
In the football field now, the struggle for survival, the competition with the native people, the promotion to the premier league and the integration into the new environment, is depicted through a choreographed football match along with usage of multiple cameras and site-specific projections as the court fills with fans, that is, the descendants that interact with the stage action.
The performance is set against the backdrop of the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Choristers, as passengers of a boat sailing in the Eastern Aegean Sea and heading to the Greek coasts, narrate – each one in their own musical language – memories of their past and homelands.
Rich and poor, old and young, daughters and mothers, some from Constantinople and Smyrna, others from Cappadocia, Pontus and the coast, one by one they all share known and unknown aspects of the everyday life they’re leaving behind.
In an abstractly natural space and using bodies and voices as a vehicle, the boat turns into an “arc” saving diverse musical references associated with a powerful common experience: the painful migration, the uprooting, the journey in search of a better life. The anticipation for the new land, the new motherland, a second chance at life.
The production approaches the Asia Minor Catastrophe through poems written by poets from Asia Minor, whose verses are marked by a strong lamenting mood, proportional to the tragic nature of the 1922 events.
The collective trauma of the loss of “Paradise” echoes across the poems of the refugee-poets, becoming a link to respective contemporary situations and also to the lamentation over the loss of people, places, hearths, relationships and freedoms in a wider sense. The performance aims at creating a safe context for a different lamenting ceremony but also an open space for reflection on the questions of loss and refugeeism.
Focusing less on the detailed narration of the events revolving around the Asia Minor Catastrophe and more on their emotional perception and symbolic representation, Stage 22 presents a grief-lifting ceremonial event that praises peace and life.
Little Heroes in Crisis is a production based on an original text that tells of the adventures of two siblings who, in their effort to save their city’s river from destruction, come across creatures they never expected to find. A work exploring how society often assigns a “disadvantage” to a person that may actually prove out to be a blessing in disguise, and in this case, the comparative advantage of a child who will save the world.
Little Heroes in Crisis is an educational prοject built on two main thematical axes: the way a child can emotionally handle the climate crisis and the way a child can get acquainted with the rules of eco-theatre – a major trend in theatre that has unofficially started in the 1970s but has only gathered active participants creating companies in Europe and worldwide over the last decades. The show is directed by the children themselves, during the educational programme, confirming thus its key objectives.
Ajax is not there. But Tecmessa is. And she will defend her own version of the story. Amidst the whirlwind of societal developments and twists, humans may lose their centre. How can someone redefine their centre? Are memories real? While the fight against patriarchy and all of its ensuing problems continues, a story about “male” honour and ethics will be told from the perspective of a woman who loved her man, stood by him, and saw her life changing due to literal or metaphorical wars.
Parts of the text come to life through performance and complete Tecmessa’s narration, in an atemporal setting where moments and images are constructed and deconstructed. The soundscape adds to Tecmessa’s mental fluctuations. Can someone describe something that is at once wild and tender? Did Ajax’ life deserve a better fate? What about one person’s feelings for another person? How is love connected to honour?
How long is the journey from adoring football to succumbing to blind hooliganism, stubbing, and causing the loss of human lives? A murder fueled by hooliganism plays out in front of the eyes of a journalist, unveiling ideologies, behaviors, interests, and mechanisms that are not restricted to the rush of some hot-blooded fans, but go much deeper than that.
Through the tools of documentary theatre (interviews with the true protagonists of real-life events, fans, parents of victims, and perpetrators, referees, policemen, and sport group executives), the performance Which Team Are You On? is an ode to the global social phenomenon known as football, and a poetic recording of the sports fan culture and its negative manifestations. A performance that is raw yet comic, mundane yet surrealistic, aiming to raise the audience’s awareness and make them want to go play football with their friends.
The magic of the famous Greek author Alexandros Papadiamantis’ enduring body of work is highlighted by featuring three of his memorable short stories: “The Wife of the Church Commissioner”, “The Cholera-afflicted Woman”, and “The Voice of the Dragon”.These stories revolve around the role of women in society, the dominant patriarchal or societal views, and the many conflicts arising either from challenges in communicating a common language code or from women’s internal struggles. The themes range from the sacrifices a woman can make for her dowry to her social exclusion.
Telling the story both through vocal performance and sign language, dancing, and theatre, the director focuses on a polyphonic narrative that is conveyed through facial expressions, voices, and hand movements, shaping a unique universe. A place, which is dominated by the senses and emphasizes Papadiamantis’ language, rich in poetic descriptions and imagery. The performance features both deaf and hearing actors.
This summer, the IONIA Orchestra and Choir of Nea Ionia, Volos will present a dynamic and diverse music theatre performance titled Aristos and Fanis. The 13-member orchestra of traditional instruments, the 160-member mixed choir, singer Thodoris Kotonias, and two actors will take audiences on a colourful journey, where tradition intersects with the present day.
In a simple and immediate manner, the two heroes, Aristos and Fanis, find courage in the power of Aristophanes’ comedy, which has taught us how to address the most challenging matters through the redemptive, sarcastic, and critical power of laughter. Especially in our time and in societies where that which is “different”, whether related to countries, religions, genders, or any other groups, constantly leads to dangerous and escalating tensions. The performance conveys the message that humans need to coexist and that life acquires true value only through collaboration, acceptance of the “other”, and harmony.
In the special event for children The Journey of a Note, a contemporary composer clashes with visual artists who take a surrealistic approach in the land of colours. Starting from the compositions of Stavros Lantsias, every child will go on a journey through the notes, in any direction their experiences and emotions will lead them to, without any obstacles or filters. Aiming to emphasize freedom of expression, this two-hour experiential workshop invites children to decode music and create paintings inspired by their feelings. In a reverse approach, they will translate famous paintings by Joan Miró, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Edvard Munch into soundscapes. Every attempt to translate a work of art into an emotion is a multifaceted internal conflict. And perhaps this is what holds the most magic in art.
Programme of events (13 & 14 July 2024)
- Educational programme for children aged 7 and above. Maximum number of participants: 10 persons. The programme will run from 10.00 to 12.00.
- Educational programme for children aged 7 and above. Maximum number of participants: 10 persons. The programme will run from 15.00 to 17.00.
- Visual art exhibition showcasing works crafted by the participants of the workshop. Operating hours for the exhibition: 19.30-22.00
- Concert with Stavros Lantsias. Starts at: 21.00.
The educational programmes are suitable for persons aged 7 and over.
For seat reservations in the educational programs, please contact the Konaki Prodromou Karditsa.
Contact phone: 24410 62078 (Monday – Friday 09.00-13.00).
Three actors and two musicians collaborate on a freestyle performance inspired by the “Medea” phenomenon and Euripides’ play. The performance includes singing, speech, and movement, with a particular focus on sound. The actors Katerina Antoniadou, Gina Thliveri, and Othon Metaxas take turns playing different roles in the play, accompanied by the sounds of Giorgos Triantafyllou’s musical sculptures and Chrysanthi Gika’s Constantinopolitan lyre, the rhythms of Maro Panagi, and the visual creations and soundscapes of Stefanos Kosmidis. Right at the center of this sound cyclone that is being formed, the bustle of the battle, stands Medea.
Through the dynamic vibration of the sound, we hear Euripides’ speech, the representation of conflict, in a modern Greek translation, which also includes excerpts from the ancient text. The variety of rhythms in the performance, and especially in the Chorus, aims at responding to the diverse rhythms present in the text. The Company’s research on the spiral movement of the body and sound invites audiences to reconnect with the Myth on a collective consciousness level.