Theatre in Greece

Accompanied by singers Alkinoos Ioannidis and Dimitra Selemidou, the Greek National Opera orchestra and choir present Manos Hadjidakis's emblematic "Gioconda's Smile" and "Magnus Eroticus" song cycles in a tribute to the celebrated Greek composer at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) on September 28, 29 and 30. Shows start at 8 p.m.

Aeschylus' play "Prometheus Bound" will be staged at the Little Theater of Ancient Epidaurus on August 3 and 4, in a production directed by Martha Frintzila.

The annual Philippi Festival brings life to the ancient theater and showcases the city's history, traditions and cultural output. The program includes work by artists from every genre who are based in Kavala, a number of productions that featured at the Athens and Epidaurus festivals, plays by the Greek and Cypriot state theater companies, concerts, as well as art exhibitions.

The Benaki Museum, in cooperation with Kazantzakis Publications, has put together a tribute to the great Cretan writer Nikos Kazantzakis, with exhibits on display at three of the museum's venues. At the Pireos Street annex, visitors can see notes, letters and manuscripts that shed light on the author's life.

The 46th annual book fair, whose focus this year is literature that has been adapted for the stage and screen, is taking place in the grounds of Zappeio Hall from September 1-17. There will also be a big tribute to Nikos Kazantzakis, as 2017 has been dedicated to the celebrated Cretan writer. Opening hours are Mondays to Thursdays from 6 to 10.30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 11 p.m.

The Technis (Art) Theater is exhibiting objects of artistic and nostalgic value related to the institution's 75-year history at StoArt in the Korai Arcade off Syntagma Square. These include costumes, props, stage models, photographs of performances and from the backstage area, programs and newspaper reviews marking milestones in the company founded by acclaimed director Karolos Koun.

It was 1949 when a group of hopeful young scientists boarded a ship and sailed across the Atlantic, leaving behind a Greece devastated by World War II and in the grips of civil strife. They were the first batch of Greeks to receive a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the United States, thus launching an exchange of knowledge and know-how that continues to this day.

Involving 10 performers on stage, Dimitris Papaioannou's "The Great Tamer" takes shape around the notion that human life can be seen as a journey of discovery, in which we explore for hidden treasure, an inner excavation searching for meaning. The performance is conceived and directed by Papaioannou, who returns to the stage for the presentation of his latest work.

The Festival of Athens & Epidaurus 2017, which is the most significant in Greece and among the most important ones in Europe, will kick off with pre-festival events at the end of May. It’s history begins in 1955, where the festival hosted well esteemed Greek and foreign artists from the industry of music, dance, theater and visual arts.

The actor Petros Fyssoun, 83, died on December 5 at Sotiria Hospital from a respiratory infection.
The much loved actor, born in Agrinio, Greece, on October 5, 1933, was the son of a Russian émigré who had settled in Greece after the Russian Revolution.