Sea Fortress of the Venetian port of Heraklion (Koules) – Heraklion, Crete

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of 1922, BEHOLD Theatre and Performing Arts Company participates in the programme “All Greece is one Culture”, exploring the impact of this historical event and the population exchanges that followed it, on the daily lives of the inhabitants of Crete – and more specifically Heraklion.

The performance is inspired by images of arrival and reception, separation and abandonment at the focal point of a port, a fortress that can become both a prison and a refuge. A threshold, another border that separates but also unites – like all borders – the here and the there, the familiar and the foreign, the now and the then. Ports, liminal points for people in search of shelter, a base, escape, identity, homeland.

A Chorus of contemporary people is “trapped” on stage in the liminal space between fiction and reality, trying to balance and find its own steps in a path that follows the traces of the common euphemistic human experience, in a predominant place of memory like that of the Venetian Fortress of Cule.

Refugees then and refugees now, descendants of refugees and the locals who welcomed them, documents, publications, literary excerpts, poems, songs, live music, personal testimonies and experiences come to light to tell the audience a story that connects and involves peoples and cultures to this day.

The production is part of the 2022 programme of the Ministry of Culture and Sport’s “All Greece One Culture” programme. 

Detailed information, programme of all events and reservations at: https://digitalculture.gov.gr

With the support of the Municipality of Heraklion – Mayoralty of Culture & Volunteerism

OPENING TIME: 20.15

Duration of performance: 90 minutes

Direction – Drama: Ria Mendilidou

Lighting design – Set design : Eleni Chumou

Orchestration – music supervision : Manolis Manousakis

Assistant director/production: Stella Koufaki

On-stage actors : Aliki Atsalaki, Theodoris Theodorides, Iris Bami, Eftichia Tsoukala, Chrysoula Flambutoglou

On-stage musicians: Manolis Manousakis (Cretan lute, Cretan lute, Sterian lute, song), Dimitris Pappas (guitar, bouzouki, song), Stavros Maragoudakis (Cretan lyre, lyre, Cretan lute, song)

Vocal teaching of songs: Maria Koti

 Poster/program design: Eftychia Tsoukala

Photos: Stelios Papardelas

Trailer/cinematography: Lefteris Giannakoudakis, Tasos Stamatakis

Production Executive: BEHOLD AMKE

Useful information

All events are offered free of charge by the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Pre-booking is required for all events on the special platform of the Ministry of Culture and Sport.

The only fee is the entrance ticket to the archaeological site, where available.

Detailed information, programme of all events and pre-booking of places on the website: https://digitalculture.gov.gr

To avoid delays and overcrowding, early arrival is recommended, an hour and a half before the start of each event.