Fire of hope from Ustinov
The internationally renowned actor, author, playwright and producer Sir Peter Ustinov will be referring to the realities of war and peace during a fund-raising performance later this summer of «The Creations of Prometheus,» Ustinov’s soliloquy based on the myth of Prometheus. Funds to be raised by the show, scheduled for the Herod Atticus on August 9, will be donated to UNICEF’s local branch in support of its protection program for «traffic-light intersection children.» Ustinov has served as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since the late 1960s. A preview of the performance was presented at a news conference on Wednesday by the president of UNICEF’s Greek branch, Lambros Kanellopoulos, who took the opportunity to elaborate on the difficulties involved in fighting the exploitation of young children placed to beg at various traffic-light intersections by exploitative, organized leaders. As for the soliloquy’s text, Ustinov notes, «Peoples are being killed so that the powerful maintain dominance, but a sacred flame does exist, which, hidden inside the human spirit, is battling against the forces of evil.» Ustinov, who was not present at Wednesday’s news conference, provided a statement about the fundamentals of his work in «The Creations of Prometheus.» «Art has the strength to convert the dimensions of a big theater into those of a small room. Instead of encountering the audience as one big mass, we are able to view it as a connection of individuals with entirely different sensitivities and tastes,» he noted in the statement. «Today, more so than ever, I feel the need to do something different. Not to do something exceptionally ambitious, or to waste your time with big truths. I not only want to make small truths less harsh, but as pleasant as possible. And that’s the meaning and only truth of the performance I’ll be presenting at the Herod Atticus,» his statement added. Ustinov, a true citizen of the world, is part Russian, German, French and Italian, and speaks at least six languages. He has written at least 20 plays, eight books, nine film scripts, and has starred in more than 35 films and 14 plays. He has directed eight films, seven plays, and seven operas. Excerpts of Beethoven’s «Prometheus» will be interpreted by the ERT Orchestra, while translated subtitles of Ustinov’s text will be provided. UNICEF’s entire team of goodwill ambassadors have been invited to attend the August 9 performance, among them, Harry Belafonte, Roger Moore, Nana Mouskouri, Liv Ullmann, and Bernadette Chirac. Ticket prices range from 15 to 60 euros.
