Summer event tightens belt but promises a host of treats
Coming at a time when the country is desperate for any form of good news, the recent presentation of this year?s Greek Festival offered some much-needed hope, both in terms of the figures presented as well as the program of upcoming events.
It is quite an accomplishment for a cultural organization such as the Greek Festival to have eliminated a deficit of 7.8 million euros since Giorgos Loukos took over as director in 2006. Equally impressive is the fact that last year?s 170,000 spectators contributed to its balance sheet by 411,000 euros. As for this year?s budget, it follows in the footsteps of other Greek cultural institutions: Set at 5 million euros back in 2009, it slipped to 4 million euros in 2010 and has now gone down to 3.2 million euros.
Despite the reduced budget, the program maintains its international character with a number of leading names from the worlds of theater and music set to appear in Greece this summer. Among them are Romeo Castellucci, who will be presenting his new production, ?On the Concept of the Face, Regarding the Son of God? (June 22-25) and Krzysztof Warlikowski, who will present his ?(A)pollonia? at the Onassis Cultural Center (June 28 – July 1).
Ariane Mnouchkine will present her new production, ?Les Naufrages du fol espoir,? which is a collaboration with the Theatre du Soleil (June 10-12
