New look coming for two landmark Athens theaters
The scaffolding that currently covers the tired facades of two landmark Athenian theaters which share a common roof heralds great news for busy Panepistimiou Street. The Vretania and Athinon theaters are gearing up to see in the new season with a revamped look – the venues are situated between the Hotel Grande Bretagne and City Link, the latter being the former Army Pension Fund building. The building’s construction goes back to the 1920s, when Vassilis Tsagris, a prominent architect of the Athenian interwar period, undertook the development of the design. The building was eventually inaugurated in 1932. The Vretania Theater was initially used as a movie house, before adding a stage for theater productions as well. Over the years, numerous legendary figures of Greek drama trod the theater’s boards, including Dimitris Horn and Ellie Lambeti, among many more. In the case of the Athinon Theater, the venue initially operated as a Viennese-style cabaret club under the name «Femina.» After World War II, it was transformed into a theater by Sofia Vembo’s brother, George. Restoration work on both venues will take approximately two months.
