Greece had a very successful entry at the international theatre festival of the Black Sea in Trabzon, Turkey, May 2012. Greece entered the competition with the play “Ichneftes” by Sophocles, directed by Dimos Avdeliodis. The play was sponsored by the non-profit culture organization "Anagnosis". It was the first time that a Greek play took part in the festival of Trabzon, and it has since evolved into a prestigious competition.

Reception

Turkish theatre enthusiasts watched the performance with great interest. At the end, the audience burst into applause, which surprised the Greek artists. The critic and international theatre festival program consultant, Bouboulina Nikakis, who also manages the sponsoring company "Anagnosis" says: "When the lights went off at the end of the show, the spectators burst into an applause that sounded like a gunshot. I've watched countless theatrical performances in different countries, but I've never encountered such a reaction".

Dimos Avdeliodis, was also pleasantly surprised by the audience reactions: "Our performance struck a chord with the people. We have never before felt that way during a performance, neither in Greece nor abroad. They were pulling and touching us, they didn't want to let us go, it was impossible for them to leave us. They wouldn't have reacted in such a warm way, unless we had spoken to their hearts”.

A poetic dramatist

Dimos Avdeliodis is a very notable and endearing culture trendsetter in Greece. He was initially known through his movies "The tree we used to hurt" and "The vernal gathering of the field guards". After that he entered the world of theatre, where he proved to have great directing abilities.

We asked the critic Bouboulina Nikakis about her decision to endorse Dimos Avdeliodis for the Greek entry to the festival of Trabzon, and she answered: "His plays are excellent examples of modern Greek culture, which deserves to travel well beyond the borders of our country. It is about a rare case of a poetic dramatist, who doesn't fall into the trap of following the trends the west, nor does he imitate the folkloric Greek drama of the past".

Success

We asked Dimos Avdeliodis to explain the success of "Ichneftes" in the Trabzon festival. As he said: "One of the reasons for the play’s success was that we gave it our all, without thinking of the money. As to direction, I wanted to keep the play minimalist but at the same time emphasise a poetic element. Besides none of our shows are similar to each other because we always update according to the audience, editing and the ultimate message of the particular play. I have a habit of watching all the performances I direct, in order to creatively perfect them. In the Trabzon performances I had many reasons to resort to perfectionism".

Apart from "Ichneftes", "Anagnosis" also presented the movie "The Spring Gathering of the Field Guards", which was also directed by Avdeliodis. The projection that took place in the House of Arts of Trabzon Municipality had the same enthusiastic reception by the audience as the play.

Satyr drama

The manuscript of Sophocles’s “Ichneftes" was discovered in the beginnings of the 20th century in the Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus by a team of archeologists from Oxford University. This play has elements from both comedy and tragedy. In terms of plot, it is about the theft of Apollo's oxen by Hermes. Giangos Andreadis of Panteion University, translated and adapted the play. The music was composed by Vangelis Giannakis, and Apollo was played by the great singer of Hadjidakis's songs, Andrew Karakotas. Finally, the “John Fafalios Foundation" assisted "Anagnosis" in the production of “Ichneftes" in Trabzon.

The theatre festival opened with a Turkish production of Aristophanes’s “Irini” (Peace). Dimos Avdeliodis praised the performance: "they absolutely respected the ancient Greek theatre structures. The performance had the correct rhythm and a good balance of singing and dancing. It also had interesting intervals in which the chorus addressed the audience directly".

Bouboulina Nikakis added: "It was an interesting take on a conventional performance, and a sharp critique of Turkish politics, an element which has been particularly prominent in Turkish theatre lately. I believe it has inspired an interesting variety in the interpretation and direction of Turkish plays".

Betrayed from our own

Although a low-profile director and the vision of a theatre critic seemed enough to represent Greece in the Trabzon Theatre festival, this success was not met with the same enthusiasm at home. The production team was disappointed to find their efforts treated with indifference. I wonder how many more funds should be poured into the humble production to capture the attention of the Greek public?
TEXT: GEORGE ZAFEIROPOULOS
PHOTOS: D. Avdeliodis - B. Nikakis
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com

MORE PHOTOS

Numerous countries took part in the festival.

Turkish dancers in pontian costumes surrounding Dimos Avdeliodis.

The monastery of Panagia Sumela.

---