Press Release

The original theatrical-artistic performance "This child" by Joël Pommerat is presented by the Cultural Centre "Hellenic Cosmos", at Building 56. The opening night of the performance, which is directed by Frosso Litra while the artistic supervision is by Iris Kritikou, will be on Friday 10 June and will last until 15 July 2011.

The performance is an original theatrical-artistic happening, which records ten short stories of parent-child relationships, describing the psychology and the roles that modern man has to play when he reaches adulthood.

The peculiarity of the project is based on the ides of creating a theatrical performance, which will function at the same time as an art exhibition. The performance's experimental character is due to the participation of ten new artists, each one creating the scenery, the video art, the make up and the costumes of the ten happenings which compose the work, giving the project the form of an art and theatrical happening.

The performance has the objective of being a cultural event that will unite different groups of artists in a common artistic goal and create social awareness.

A few words about the work
The work "This child" was born through interviews regarding the issue of parent-child relationships, which were taken by women of Normandy living in working-class housing projects in 2002. For a period of many days, the women, Joël Pommerat and the group of actors exchanged views and reactions on the specific issue. As a result, the author and his group created a work in the form of ten happenings, a theatrical documentary with common themes. The project was supported by the Family Fund of Calvados and the National Dramatic Centre of Caen.

Joël Pommerat wrote this work without describing something as he heard it described in the narrations, but tried to dream what happened in the souls of the people involved. The work "This child" is a series of short scenes about family conflicts, when the usual tensions between parents and children reach a climax. Each scene becomes our mirror, either as a parent, that we may be, or as a son or daughter, that we are. Existential questions, deadlocked relationships, but also the generation gap and lack of communication unfold through familiar stories: a pregnant woman, speaking to the child she is going to give birth to, a divorced father with his five-year-old daughter, a woman that chooses to give her child for adoption, a mother scolding her daughter, a son accusing his father for his wasted life, and other situations well known to all.


The idea for the direction
The performance "This child" is a theatrical-artistic happening that allows visitors to walk around, to stand and watch,, as if he were in the everyday streets of the city or the halls of his house.  

Through the dramaturgic analysis of the work the idea of an artistic work site was born. An open landscape with art works and artistic installations, which will create the idea of a contemporary city and at the same time will depict the dream subconscious of the leading characters.

The idea of the directions deals with an aesthetic-emotional experience which the visitor can view through the cooperation of artists that serve different art forms. The way that the happenings are connected will come about through improvisation and texts that will enrich the project and at the same time function as a bridge for the movement of the spectators in the activity area of 900 m2 of Building 56 of Hellenic Cosmos.


CREDITS

Idea-direction: Frosso Litra

Translation: Marianna Kalbari

Stage desing: Manolis Pantelidakis + 14 artists: Anna Abariotou, Marios Voutsinas, Andreas Georgiadis, Savvas Georgiadis, Konstantinos Esslsin, Alexia Efstathopoulou, Giannis Bekiaris, Charitonas Bekiaris, Elena Papadimitriou, Kostas Pappas, Vassilis Perros, Vassilis Soulis, , Maria Tsagari, George Tserionis

Artistic supervision: Iris Kritikou

Music: Stavros Gasparatos

Lighting: George Tellos

Costumes: Irene Tsakiri, Sophia Nikolaidi

Actors: Adinoos Albanis, Vicky Volioti, Labros Giotis, Marianna Kalbari, Diamantis Karanastasis, Nektarios Loukianos, Leda Matsaggou, Vana Pefani, Giannis Stefopoulos, Evri Sofroniadou, Zeti Fitsiou




Tickets prices: 20 & 15 euro

Duration of performance: 70 minutes

Tickets are available for advance booking at the box office in “THEATRON”, the Public stores, by telephone through the use of a credit card, and On Line at the address http://tickets.theatron254.gr/
Info: 212 254 0314

Schedule of box office at "THEATRON":
Tuesday-Friday: 11:00 - 17:00
Saturday: 11:00 - 19:00
Sunday: 09:00 - 17:00