In aid of young actors and troupes
Upon the initiative of the City of Athens, a step has been taken to promote young artists involved in theater from all over Greece. A venue has been provided for theater artists who are unable to present their work and are obliged – at least those few who manage to get that far – to perform during May and June, when the theater season is already over, or on Mondays and Tuesdays under particularly unfavorable conditions. Twelve theater companies from around Greece that were eventually chosen are to be be housed at the Anoixis Theater in Kerameikos, which has jointly organized the project along with the Athens Municipality Cultural Organization (PODA). This theater festival of young companies is being called Theater Action 1. Festival performances started earlier this week and will run to April 5. Each theater company will give four shows, from Wednesday to Saturday. The 12 companies were selected by a three-member committee, consisting of Anoixis Theater Artistic Director Yiannis Margaritis, actor Dimitris Piatas and Platonas Mavromoustakos, a professor in the Theater Studies Department of Athens University. The selection was carried out after studying the 23 proposals that had been submitted. «Priority was given to theater companies from the countryside, as they find it more difficult to present any of their work in Athens. We tried to choose the proposals that contained elements of improvisation. I hope we did not seem unfair,» said Margaritis. «Theater Action 1 is aimed at helping young groups of actors realize their ideas by providing the theater stage, the technical equipment and the staff they need,» said PODA President Nitsa Loule, on behalf of the organization. The companies will not receive any funding, but will keep the revenues from their shows. The festival was inaugurated by the Thessaloniki-based Uga Klara group with its anti-war comedy «The Orange with the Pull Pin.» On January 25, Viomichaniki from Patras will present «God Bless America,» while on February 1 the Syros-based Polis company will stage «Outos einai o astir mou» (This is my Star), with texts by Dimitrios Vikelas and Emmanouil Roidis. Nostalgia will follow with «10.15 Saturday Night» on February 8 and then Pandoum with «Come…» on February 15. Monahestus will perform «Celestina» on February 22 and on March 1 Play Full will present «Fortune Cookie.» The next company, from Hania, Crete, will be Inemoeis with the performance «The Dead Order» on March 8. On March 15, Selana will stage «Abandonment» and Iraklion-based Omma will perform «Nostalgia» on March 22. Idaioi Daktyloi will stage «Yvonne, the Princess of Burgundy» on March 29, and, finally, on April 5 the Rhythmon Theater will stage Laurent Godet’s «Onyssos Raging.»
