“Direction in Cyprus during the first twenty years of the 21st century”

by Marina Athanasiou-Takis, from OTAN Publications

Pages 386

Dimensions 17×24

Edition 2022

Category Theatre

Back cover:

The book explores the historical context (socio-political) of Cyprus during the first twenty years of the 21st century in order to highlight key events for the country, which marked its history and at the same time influenced, sometimes to a greater and sometimes to a lesser extent, theatrical production in terms of the themes of the performances and the aesthetic choices of the directors/artists. At the same time, the directorial trends that emerged during this period are studied. Given the modern approaches observed, always in comparison with previous or contemporary ones, a distinction is made between dramatic and post-dramatic theatre (theatre of a specific space, theatre of invention, physical theatre, experimental musical theatre, event-driven theatre, performative events in a visual installation). In addition, the phenomenon of transferring non-theatrical texts to the stage is examined, in order to investigate its frequency in Cypriot theatre, the reasons that have increasingly led to this choice in the last twenty years, as well as its reception. The place of the Greek Cypriot dialect in contemporary theatrical practice as a staging option is also studied. In particular, its use and function in contemporary performances as an ideological-political means of communication with the audience is recorded and evaluated. Finally, the position of contemporary Cypriot theatre on the world map, especially the European map, is explored through its participation in international events and institutions.

Βio:

Marina Athanasiou-Taki is a Doctor in Theatre Studies with specialization in Acting and Direction from the Open University of Cyprus. She has also studied Classical Literature with postgraduate degrees in Educational Leadership and Theatre Studies. He is a member of the Cyprus Association of Playwrights and the Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute. She is co-founder and director of the professional theatre company Paremvasis.

She has participated in several conferences and seminars and has publications in scientific journals (Greek and foreign) and conference proceedings on topics related to literature, educational leadership and theatre.

She has attended a masterclass with Eugenio Barba and Julia Varley on the different levels of dramaturgy of a theatre performance and the basic principles of theatre anthropology, a masterclass on acting in the Meisner Technique with Keith Farquhar and participated in a workshop on theatre writing by Alexia Papalazarou. She is the author of the monograph The Amateur Theatre in Cyprus (1955-1974) and the plays The Rose of Damascus, Days of Exclusion, Red Lake.

He has directed performances of school theatre and theatre groups. Her performances have participated in festivals in Cyprus and abroad with significant distinctions and some of them have been awarded the best performance prize. She was awarded twice with a directing prize at festivals in Greece (Crete 2018, Thessaloniki 2021), with first prize in the Cyprus Playwrights’ Association’s one-act playwriting competition for the play The Rose of Damascus (2020), and with praise in the Cyprus Playwrights’ Association’s one-act playwriting competition for the play Days of Exclusion (2020).

Since 2003, she has been working as a philologist in secondary education in Cyprus. She was a consultant for Ancient Greek language courses at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth of Cyprus (2008-2009) and was a member of the committee for the educational reform for the Ancient Greek language course.