MUNICIPAL THEATHER ENSEMBLE OF STAVROUPOLIS
“THEATRIKO-ERGOTAXIO”

PROFILE

 

 

            The Municipal Theatre Group of Stavroupolis "THEATRIKO ERGOTAXIO" was founded in continuance of the apprenticeship of the actors who studied in the Laboratory for Drama Education under the artistic direction of Isabella Martzopoulou. The repertoire is directly connected with the Laboratory’s method of working as well as the Theatre Group's. The orientation of both the "THEATRIKO ERGOTAXIO" and the Laboratory follows that of the Wroclaw Laboratory (Poland). The co-founder of the Wroclaw Laboratory, Ludwig Flaszen, gives regular seminars, as does Werner Muller among others. Isabella Martzopoulou studied with Richard Cieclak and Ludwig Flaszen.

 

We started with Daniil Kharms, a writer whose texts are a challenge, in our opinion, both for the actors and other artistic contributors alike. Our first production was his "A Journey to Brazil". The story revolves around two main types of people: on the one hand we have Kolia Patkin, dreamer and adventurer, descendant of ground-breaking historical figures such as inventors and discoverers, and on the other stands Petia Ertzof, who personifies realism. Through game, one of the most important factors in the evolution of human knowledge, it is proven once again that progress comes about through dreams and imagination, and is not bound to reason. "A Journey to Brazil" represented Greece in the "Festival of Two Nations in Cologne, Germany, in March 2001, and received the highest critical praise from an enthusiastic German Press:

 

  "… Studiobuhne: Children’s Theatre’s finest hour: The "THEATRIKO ERGOTAXIO" theatre group from Thessaloniki with "A Journey to Brazil" offered a performance rarely seen nowadays – as much regarding dramatic inspiration as in terms of scenery, sound, lighting and movement……Isabella Martzopoulou directed this discovery as a journey to uplift the soul without precedent. A triumph of sound and color flooded this performance…"

(Kölner-Stadt-Anzeiger).

 

 

 

“Journey to Brazil”

 

   


   “Who is Professor Troubotskin?”

 


 After "A Journey to Brazil" we continued our wanderings through the wonderful literary world of Daniil Kharms to discover "Who is Professor Troubotskin?" The text gives this great writer the opportunity to add a touch of acidity to a child’s judgment and realization before a world of untruths built by adults for their own ends. In this way Kharms strongly reinforces the code of entertainment as an "education of the soul", all the while with humor, imagination and the ability to see the world upside-down, which are the prime elements in a child’s way of thinking. With his caustic quill Kharms in addition shows incredible foresight, given his era, namely predicting the current use of children in today’s consumer society. 

 

 "Kharms File" is the third production of “THEATRIKO ERGOTAXIO”, a tribute to one of the most important Russian pioneers with documents and events concerning his short, difficult and with many disturbances life, during the hard Stalin years.

Daniil Kharms – the main literary pseudonym of Daniil Yiovanovitz Youvatsof – came into the world on 17 December 1905. A German schooling followed, and then in 1924 he enrolled at the Electro-Technical College of Leningrad. Together with his friend and colleague Alexander Vedensky (1900-1941) and the poet Nikolay Zabolotsky (1903-1958), Kharms founded the arts and literature group "OBERIOU" (Union of Real Art).

Kharms and Vedensky dedicated themselves to children’s literature, writing for the publishing house "Detgiz", more famously known as "Marshak Academy". By 1940 Kharms had published eleven children’s books, while at the same time contributing regularly to the magazines "The Hedgehog", ‘The Siskin" and "Tzizz". Daniil Kharms met his pitiful end in February 1942 in a Soviet prison after the Nazis had entered his country. Today he is recognized in the world of literature as one of its most important writers, and not only in the field of children’s literature. He is remembered as "the last Russian avant-garde."

By happy coincidence, at the same time that Kharms made his entrance into the Greek stage via the Municipality of Stavroupolis, the “Kostaki Collection”, works of art from the same period as Kharms wrote, is being exhibited at Stavroupolis’ Moni Lazariston.

 


   “Kharms File”

“A moment of Silence”

 

Theatrical adaptation-Direction:      Isabella Martzopoulou

Director of set and costume design: Henk  van Loenen

Lighting director:                               Dimos Avdeliodis

Painting:                                             Agelliki Kourmoulaki

Musical compositions - coordination: Alekos Papadopoulos

Music set to lyrics by :                       Marios Mavromatis

Agathonas Iakovidis performs  the song “San tis Smirnis to yiagini”

Musicians:                                          uti: Nikolaos Iakovidis

                                                            Violin: Dimitris Theodorakis

                                                            Kontrabaso: Vassilis Michael

                                                            Drums: Alekos Papadopoulos

Singing:                                              Tsairidou Sofia

Lighting & sound console:    Aris Zachos

Actors:               

            Bares Stelios

            Hekimian Mari

            Nikiforou Eva

            Siaperas Thanos

            Tsairidou Sofia

A Moment of Silence” is the fourth production of “THEATRIKO ERGOTAXIO”

 

“A moment of silence”

A work in progress

A composition of narrations by refugees of the Asia Minor destruction of 1922

Sources:        

   “Koinos Logos” –Elli Papadimitriou-“Hermes” publications,

    “Exodos”-Center of Asian Minor Studies,

    “The ones who came, the ones who left”- Maria Tsirimonaki,

    Newspaper “Proodos” 1922

 and excerpts from passages and poets by: Manolis Anagnostakis, Andreas Ebirikos, T.S. Eliot, Odysseas Elytis, Konstatinos Kavafis, Elias Kazan, Michalis Katsaros, Bertold Breht, General Makrygiannis, Georgios Seferis, Dionysios Solomos, Georgios Tertsetis, Evangelos Hekimoglou, Ernest Hemingway).

The passage of the “teacher” was written by Isabella Martzopoulou.

 

 

The lyrics of the songs that  are heard in the performance belong to Kostis Palamas, Dionysios Solomos, Steven Wallas (from the program of the production “National Hymn”, directed by Michael Marmarinos)

 

The first performance, on the 12th March 2003 at the Municipal Theather of Stavroupolis.

 

Performances of the play continue from 9th to 25th of May, 2003

 

“A moment of Silence” – Smyrna burning

 

 

 

Municipal Theather Ensemble “THEATRIKO-EGOTAXIO”

Municipal Socio-cultural Venture of Stavroupolis “IRIS”

Lagada 221, 564 30 Stavroupolis, tel.:2310 650.301,  60.90.97, Fax: 2310 640.450

www.theatriko-ergotaxio.gr  e-mail:theatriko_ergotaxio@yahoo.gr