In Foot's words the objective is to "underline afresh the international character of the war and how we must continue to resist the reappearance of fascism".
Foot envisages the Italian dictator arrested by the British Army and brought to London to stand trial. What looks like a closed and shut case develops into something quite different the moment several witnesses are brought in.
This first ever staged reading was directed by award winning documentary director Alfio Bernabei, author of 'Dangerous Characters' for Channel 4 and of a recent article in History Today, 'The London Plot to Kill Mussolini'.
Cyprus Week - 15th to 20th July 2007
Presented by Theatro Technis in association with the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK to coincide with the 33rd anniversary of the Greek Junta coup and the Turkish invasion & occupation of 34.7% of the Republic of Cyprus. At the same time to celebrate the Accession of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU which will hopefully lead to the unification of the island as a truly Independent Federated State for all the people of Cyprus.
Rally for Cyprus - 1hr 43 min
(see blog entry for detailed programme of events)
Sunday 15th July, 5.00 pm; RALLY FOR CYPRUS at Trafalgar Square, organised by the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK. The Omospondhia (National Federation of Cypriot Organisations in the UK) website is visible here.
Cyprus and EU Flag raised at Theatro Technis 75 mins
Monday 16th July, 7.00 pm; Raising the flags of the Republic of Cyprus & of the European Union at Theatro Technis, followed by an exhibition about the violation of human rights by Turkey in Cyprus. Songs and poetry.
Lobby for Cyprus seminar: "Property Rights in Occupied Cyprus" 43 mins
Update from the European Court of Human Rights by Achilleas Demetriades, who handled the highly suucessfull Titina Loizidou case in the ECHR. The Lobby for Cyprus website is visible here.
Photos from the evening to celebrate Theatro Technis' 50th Anniversary, by Vanessa Scott-Thompson
50th Anniversary Opening Celebration - May 2007 (1 of 4 parts)
9min 22 sec
Arrivals at Theatro Technis before the celebrations, beginning with a view of the building, then the founder of Theatro Technis George Eugeniou is seen greeting and speaking with the Mayoress of Camden and then with Greek Orthodox Archbishop Grigorios. Once inside the theatre space, arrival of the High Commissioner of Cyprus George Iacovou, and MP Jeremy Corbyn.
Theatro Technis 50th Anniversary Celebration
(2 of 4 parts)
56min 47 sec
The anniversary celebration begins with a cameo-appearance by 'Dubya' hisself and a number of extracts from the Kubrik-inspired satire, "The Madness of George Dubya" which was devised and created at Theatro Technis by Justin Butcher with George Eugeniou's support. Extracts from the play include the 'mad general', the 'speech of the Iraqi ambassador', and the two songs "We'll All Go Together" and "The Myth of Redemptive Violence" Links to two notable reviews of the original performances are provided below:
This is followed by a brief run-through of the history of Theatro Technis by its founder George Eugeniou, intespersed with speeches in English by staunch TT supporter Jeremy Corbyn, Member of Parliament; by the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Grigorios; the Mayoress of Camden, Councillor Jill Fraser; the High Commissioner of Cyprus to the Court of St. James' and former Cyprus Foreign Minister, George Iacovou; and Cyprus Culture Commissioner to the UK, Rita Katsaouni.
Theatro Technis 50th Anniversary Celebration
(3 of 4 parts)
55min 39 sec
2 pieces of music by Ricardo from Chili, a long-time friend at Theatro, representing the solidarity between TT and opressed people and refugees from all over the world, a friendship forged during the days of opposition to the Pinochet regime in Chili and the Dictatorship in Greece ; Tania and Felipe in a 'ritual' from "The Persians" by Aeschylus (read a review); an extract from a play written by Theatro Technis' founder George Eugeniou, in English, "Forza Galileo" (read a review), paying respects to the influence of Brecht and particularly of Joan Littlewood; closing with two songs performed in Greek by Chris and Katina as a tribute to the style of Rembetiko music (Greek Link) (English Link).
Theatro Technis 50th Anniversary Celebration
(4 of 4 parts)
LGR interviews in Greek: Iacovou Katsaouni Papalazarou
9min 37sec
Vasilis Panayi, of London Greek Radio, interviews some of the dignitaries attending the celebrations of London's Theatro Technis' 50th Anniversary on 3rd May 2007. Cyprus High Commissioner, and former Foreign Minister, George Iacovou; Cyprus Culture Commissioner to the UK, Dr Niki Katsaouni; Cyprus National Theatre (THOK) representative, Neophytos Papalazarou -- all praise the unique contribution of Theatro Technis. Interviews spoken in Greek. Many of the guests had also made their comments in English during the evening of celebrations, and can be seen in other video clips in this sequence.
Images below from some of Theatro Technis' productions:
George Eugeniou in conversation with Dina Ritsou
(Spoken in Greek - 2 parts)
Dina Ritsou runs a small private theatre in Athens, and had particularly enjoyed the opening night of the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of Theatro Technis so much that she came back the next day to congratulate George Eugeniou and to invite him to consider taking the theatre troupe to perform at her space in Athens.
'Theatro' speaks for itself, but
'Technis' is another ancient Greek word. It came from a time when
people made no distinction between art, work and craft. People
didn't make theatre for money, they had to live, yes - but work
itself was reward enough. It was important then to have passion for
what you were doing and to believe that your work benefited others
too. That is Theatro Technis.
(Theatro Technis Founder George Eugeniou)
Documentary - 'Save Theatro Technis' - 1977 - 37 mins Theatro Technis and BBC Open Door Production
Theatro Technis is the
story of the immigrant.
His Ghetto-like life is full of
contradictions. The need to survive in a hostile environment
motivates and inspires him to create his own little
hell-paradise-Necropolis of his adopted country. His alertness,
energy and vitality drives him to build his nest where even the
eagle does not dare. He sets his stage and lights the scene in a
deserted backstreet garage, in a dilapidated railway shed. In a
disguised old church house. Confronted by so many odds, he digs old
ground, he explores new fields and stirs stagnant waters. Being
innovative and challenging, he pays the price. Refusing to accept
defeat, he starts over again from scratch. One step forward, two
steps backwards: he shall never reach his destination.
And yet, in
some miraculous way, progress IS made."
White old blank pages dreaming of poetic
words full of striking images, symbols and metaphors with all sorts
of messages to be spoken by actors with pregnant pauses, by public
orators, activists of many causes, new stars dying to be born on
cosmic world stages with a speech or a song, confronting live
audiences, capturing them by storm with their powerful voices,
confident and strong, all through the dark ages, carried the
Olympian torch, illuminating the universe, taking a big leap forward
to life's deeper essence ...
The authoritarian clown,
Who had his ups and downs,
Who wouldn't give a toss,
what the critics thought ...
... reflected in the empty space of the
stolen-statuette with its youthful smiling pale face, St Pancras'
silence, white silhouette at the old church house in Crowndale, now
the home of his ancient tribe - players carrying its 100 year old
palm leaf as a lantern, not doubting whether it was all in vain,
roams the crowded streets once again ...
..."love your enemies like yourself" ...
... alas that haunting echo falls on barren earth ....
Documentary - 'Sanctuary Challenge' - 1987 - 27 mins
Theatro Technis & Retake Video co-production
For Channel4 TV
Theatro Technis would like to give
special thanks to: The A.G. Leventis and Hellenic Foundations, Unity
Theatre Trust, St Nicholas Trust, the Wellcome Trust, the National
Theatre of Cyprus (THOK), The Ministry of Education and Culture of
Cyprus, Lottery Community Fund, Adventure Capital Fund, the Arts
Council England, Kings Cross Partnership, Camden Council,
Lloyds/TSB, London Rebuilding Society, the Greek & Cyprus Banks,
Cyprus Airways, Cypressa, KEO, Forsby of London, The National
Federation of Cypriots in the UK, J&P (UK Ltd), Dr. Niki Katsaouni
of the Cyprus High Commission, London Greek Radio, Hellenic TV, the
local English & Cypriot press, the Working Men's College, Camden
Central Community Umbrella, Fanya Harper, Oona Lahr, Mike Leigh, Tom
Hoseph, Joan Cherrill, Mullholand Trust, the PGD Strategy Ltd, Peter
Noel Cook, Alan Bennett, Justin Butcher, Cllr Roger Robinson, Robert
Wilkinson, Andreas Kakouris, Harry Nicolaou, Harry Edgington
... and all those unsung heroes: Theatro Technis' members, trustees,
staff, volunteers, students, actors, writers, directors, artists,
designers, technicians, musicians, dancers, clients (hiring
companies) and users, who have helped to sustain Theatro Technis
from its early humble beginnings to the present time.
PROGRAMME of the 50th Anniversary Celebration:
THURSDAY,
Official opening: (By invitation only)
Exhibition of Theatro Technis archives, music, songs, poetry, dance, excepts
from plays, short speeches followed by a buffet. 7.30 pm
FRIDAY, 4th
Gala performance: Tickets £10/£8 Conc.
Cosmo Theatre presents ‘ ECSTACY’, an adaptation of Euripides
‘The Bacchae’ by Christos Prossylis. 7.30 pm
SATURDAY, 5th
Open to everybody: Donations only
Theatro Technis presents a workshop on reminiscence, story-telling, video & film
showing.
SUNDAY, 6th
Gala Performance: Tickets £10/£8 Conc.
A Deglan Mullholland Memorial organised by the Mullholland Trust.
Dudley Sutton. A Close Encounter: Salacious Prose, Torrid Verse,
Scurrilous songs. 7.30 pm
MONDAY, 7th
Gala Performance. Tickets £8/£6 Conc.
Wildbunch Productions: Hopeless Romantic Café. Open Jam Night:
Comedy, Cabaret, Poetry, Readings. 7pm
WEDNESDAY, 9th
Gala performance: £8/£6 Conc. Musical Flying
Squad presents: London With A Swing- songs and scenes from local history. 7.30pm
THURSDAY, 10th
A gala evening organised by Scene & Heard:
‘There’s No Place Like Home’. 6.30 for 7.00 pm.
FRIDAY, 11th
Gala Performance. Part-time Productions & St.
Pancras Community Association present: CAMDEN SLAM! PART 2. 6.30 for 7.00 pm.
SATURDAY, 12th
A gala evening of poetry, music & song
organised by Vasilis Panayi of London Greek Radio: £8/£6.00 Conc. 7.30 pm
TUESDAY, 15th
A gala performance of ‘Measure For Measure’ by
William Shakespeare presented by the Tower Theatre 7.30 pm (the play runs till
Sat. 19th May)
A fascinating example of original theatrical art. Writer George Eugeniou has created a delicious cocktail, merging scenes from Othello with a pastiche of the Greek chorus to create an up-to-the-minute political satire." ('The Stage')
Contact Theatro Technis:
Box Office & further information call 020 7387 6617
email: info(nospam@)theatrotechnis.com
THEATRO TECHNIS
26 Crowndale Road,
London NW1 1TT
Tel: +44(0)207 387 6617
Fax: +44(0)20 7383 2545
A registered charity no. 280885
Company registration no. 1509049
Nearest tube: Mornington Crescent or Camden Town (Northern Line).
Buses: 29,24,214,46,27,134.
More details about Theatro Technis are available on our website http://theatrotechnis.com
The hundreds and thousands of people who have already had contact with the Theatro Technis over the 50 years of its existence in north London - and all persons across the entire diversity of the creative arts & crafts who share our perspectives, and all those who care to approach the subject matter of life with a mind dedicated to enlightenment, freedom, peace and justice, and who can come to understand the thought of "Theatre as a Rehearsal for Action" rather than theatre as just another form of entertainment.
Highly acclaimed as a 'pioneer', 'innovator' and 'visionary' in his field by critics the world over, theatrical director Leonidas Loizides continues his quest for excellence in his craft. His productions include works of great authors which were brilliantly performed. This time, he has embarked on the great but demanding journey of setting up the theatrical staging of the play 'The Bacchae' based on the ancient tragedy by Euripides.
This particular version that Mr. Loizides is using is based on the translation and adaptation by Mrs Marika Thomadaki* (Professor and Dean in the University of Athens). This joint effort makes for a perfect marriage to the distinctive and masterly artistry he implements to all his work. In directing the play, his discerning eye turns the stagnant and the stilted into the untarnished and the modern. Thus, you are presented with a production, where simplicity reigns but its message is projected with unparalleled clarity to the audience.
Bowing with respect and awe to the talent of the ancient playwright, Leonidas ventures into 'uncharted waters' in directing this adaptation, being entirely certain of its success. This is an original, inventive idea, without precedent in the history of the theatre. In ancient Greek Theatre, acting was reserved only for men who also played the parts of the female characters. This director's idea, a WORLDWIDE FIRST, is to do the reverse by having all the roles, played by WOMEN!!
Regarding the Project for the production of the theatrical performance "Vakhes" of Euripides, in the version of Marika Thomadaki (Dean, professor of the University of Athens) and in direction of Leonidas Loizides, which is under the Auspices of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Tourist Development-Minister, we seek:
HAPPY 50TH Anniversary, congratulations, sihharitiria, and best wishes to George and Maroulla and all others too at Theatro Technis - Great to see this facility online, and I'm glad I sent out the message to the friends on my email list who would like to hear of its existence .... I'm hoping that sending the message out making everyone look at Theatro Technis' profile at MySpace will lead to a whole bunch of new people who had not created themselves profiles on there yet who will rush to make themselves a
profile -- and then wish to get linked as 'friends' at this Theatro Technis page, which as I said to George the other day, would be an amazing networking process set-in-motion which will enable all kinds of people to re-find all kinds of other people! I hope that this message will also cause everyone who reads through it to rush off and send a message to all their friends too, so that 'community' starts to do its 'thing'. I can't think of a better present to Theatro Technis than to make a wish for them that some MAJOR new funders may see this and come forward to contact Theatro Technis as a result of enjoying their "virtual presence" at its 50th Anniversary Celebrations as a result of this facility being put online. I hope that everyone who watches the videos and enjoys the images from this site will consider contacting TT by email or even by conventional-mail to purchase one of the 50th Anniversary Brochures (autographed by George)(£5+pp), or a copy of George's newly self-published "Goon Triology" (£10+pp).
