With the patience of a stage grandmother
She’s played some of the best grandmother roles in local theater. Jenny Roussea is currently starring, at the Argo Theater in Athens, in «My Mother Said I Never Should,» a play by Charlotte Keatley that follows the story of four generations of women grappling with social forces that threaten to tear them apart as the modern era progresses. «Problems in mother-daughter relationships always deal with the truth – from the past to the present. In this story, the grandmother is the family’s fundamental figure. All the female members revolve around her hoping that they’ll get an answer to their problems,» said Roussea, who stars alongside Emilia Ypsilanti, Gogo Brebou and Iphigenia Asteriadi. «Based on her own life’s experiences, she advises that patience is the quality that is most important.» There is a strong resemblance between Roussea and her role. «Even though I haven’t become a grandmother yet, there are parts of my life in this,» the actress said. «The patience displayed in this work, which is interwoven with composure, characterizes me, too. I’m never in a rush in the kind of way that spoils the harmony of things we’re examining.» Responding to a question about the possibility of tension owing to the current production’s all-female cast, Roussea noted: « On the contrary, we’ve got satisfaction and a calm atmosphere. I always wanted to meet Emilia [Ypsilanti]. It’s a gift to battle it out in our domain with politeness and punctuality.» A veteran in the field, Roussea, a graduate of the National Theater’s Drama School, has been active in theater since the mid-50s, a large chunk of it at two Athenian venues, the Moussouri and Vergi theaters. «That’s half a century. But I still feel like I haven’t really done anything. Whenever I read a novel, I feel guilty for not seeking out a new play,» said Roussea. Raised on the Ionian island of Zakynthos, Roussea became acquainted with drama at a young age. A close friendship between her father, a high school teacher and artist, and Dionysis Romas – writer, chronicler, critic, general secretary at the National Theater and program director at EIR, state-radio and television ERT’s precursor – helped to bring the youngster into contact with drama. «So, I’d started performing roles from my kindergarten days. My first proper roles, at school, were one-act plays by Romas,» recalled Roussea. «That’s when they decided that I should study drama. So, we got over all the provincial views regarding the world of theater and I graduated from the National Theater.» Roussea landed her first roles at the downtown Athens Moussouri Theater, beginning with the stage adaptation of «The Diary of Anne Frank,» and Elmer Rice’s «Street Scenes,» a groundbreaking early 20th century play that examined the complexity of urban life in New York City. It had won the 1929 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. She began collaborating with the Vergi Theater in 1983, where the early plays included two by Jean Cocteau, «The Terrible Parents» and «Holy Monsters.» Asked for her advice to emerging colleagues, Roussea said it was important that young actors remain «studious, be punctual and remain patient.» «The youngsters have talent but waste it. They often take on unbearable roles and use external means to confront them,» Roussea remarked. «Uphill struggle and disappointment make you stronger.» Roussea said she has never considered branching out into teaching drama or directing. «Drama instructors need to be backed by complete studies on art in general. I go by my own experience and whatever I recall from drama school. I wouldn’t want to be self-destructive,» said Roussea, while admitting that she had generally steered clear of drastic changes in her career. «I was always afraid to change environment, which is why I’ve always performed at the same theaters. I’d get away from it all in the summers and always go back to Zakynthos. That’s why I never did ancient drama,» said Roussea, adding that she feared participating in projects she did not approve herself. «Wouldn’t it be a shame if I made a fool of myself now, in my final years?» «My Mother Said I Never Should,» at the Argo Theater, 15 Elefsinion, tel 210.520.1684-5.
