Production dedicated to Nikos Kourkoulos
The performance of Bertolt Brecht’s «Mother Courage and her Children» which opens at the National Theater’s Kotopouli Stage (48 Panepistimiou, tel 210.330.5074) on Friday is dedicated to the memory of the National Theater’s recently deceased director Nikos Kourkoulos. The production is directed by Costas Tsianos and stars Antigone Valakou. «Through this production, the National Theater is participating in a worldwide celebration honoring a top playwright,» said Tsianos at a recent press conference. «Nikos Kourkoulos was very fond of this play and was very keen to see Antigone Valakou interpret the lead part,» he added. «Mother Courage and her Children» was written in 1938-39, at a time when Europe was heading straight into war. It is set during the time of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) and deals with the contradictory and tragic role that everyday people play in the tragedy of war. «It is a straightforward, honest, comprehensive, folk production,» said the director. «This mother is no hero, she is no saint, but I love her because she has a monstrous instinct of survival,» added Valakou. The translation is by Petros Markaris and the sets were designed by Giorgos Gavalas. The costumes are by Rena Georgiadou. The music is by Giorgos Christianakis with choreography by Fokas Evangelinos. Valakou is joined by a large cast, including Constantina Takalou, Stefanos Cosmidis and Iossif Iossifidis, among others.
