Amore’s ‘Trials’ a success
It all started about a year-and-a-half ago when the Amore Theater (Theatro tou Notou) set out to open up new horizons for young Greek playwrights and stage directors with a series of productions, collectively titled «Trials,» held at the beginning and end of each season. The experiment paid off from day one; young writers and directors were warmly received by the – mostly young – audience, which appeared ready to embrace new ideas. It was through «Trials» that the Greek public became acquainted with Yiannis Moschos (who this year staged «High Voltage» and Leda Tassopoulou’s monologue for the Cultural Olympiad), Andreas Flourakis, Giorgos Lanthimos (who is currently making his second directorial outing at the Porta Theater), Vassilis Mavrogeorgiou, Lambrini Angelidou and others. Amore Theater Director Yiannis Houvardas embarked on the project «in order to broaden the repertoire» of his theater and to experiment with new plays and artists – and it worked. This month, the Amore is hosting Fenia Papadodima’s play «Human Portraits,» starring herself alongside Fenia Kossovitsa, Maria Manimanaki, Alkistis Pavlopoulou, Manos Kazamias and Leonardos Batis. The second premiere in «Trails III,» scheduled for May 21, is Pablo Picasso’s «Four Little Girls,» translated by Andreas Embeirikos and directed by first-timer Ileana Dimadi, a theater scholar. The play stars Maria Filini, Roza Prodromou, Maria Sideri and Aliki Dourmazer, while the sets and costumes are by Rebecca Alexopoulou. Two days later, «Trials III» will wrap up with Roland Schimmelpfennig’s «Arabian Night,» directed by Dimitris Kourtakis (with a translation by Giorgos Depatsas) and featuring Constantinos Avarikiotis, Ieronymos Kaletsanos, Vassilis Karaboulas, Lena Kitsopoulou and Despina Kourti. The director, a musician by profession, has decided to incorporate what he already knows with this new venture and thus plans to present the play in score form – a concept well in line with the Amore Theater’s overall experimental temperament. Amore Theater, 10 Prigiponison, Polygono, tel 210.646.8009.
