History of the theatre
The Lycabettus Theatre is one of the most popular open-air venues for artistic performances in Greece. Its creation and its ultimate form (not that originally foreseen) were a result of the events and particular ideological climate of the mid-Sixties. The construction of an open-air theatre on this site served to meet three convergent needs: Anna Synodinou’s search for a new open-air theatre after her collaboration with the National Theatre came to an end, the need for additional venues for the rapidly expanding requirements of the newly-founded Athens Festival, and the desire to redress the damage done to the Attica landscape by the old quarry works on Lycabettus. After much dispute, and with the fervent support of the Prime Minister, Georgios Papandreou, Anna Synodinou was granted a 20-year lease on the old quarry works on November 7, 1964 and given a building permit for an open-air theatre which would later revert to the National Tourist Board. The actress commissioned the talented French-trained architect Takis Zenetos (1926-1977) to design it.
In response to the era’s call for “a theatre in the ancient style”, Zenetos designed a light ‘clam-shell’ resting on the hollow, left by the quarry. His architecturally and technically advanced proposal consisted of a concave auditorium seating 5,000, and a metal, cantilevered structure (which means the theatre does not have external props) anchored deep in a cement base under the orchestra pit. Disagreements led to a delay in approving the design. In the end, having run out of time, the National Tourist Board hastily commissioned a smaller and more conventional temporary theatre.
The final outcome, the Lycabettus Theatre we see today, seats 3000 and is supported by robust metal props. The original worn wooden seats have been replaced by modern plastic ones, and the addition of several structures designed to meet technical rather than architectural requirements has also irrevocably altered the appearance of the theatre.
The Lycabettus Theatre and the Athens Festival
The Lycabettus Theatre opened in the summer of 1965 with a production of Sophocles’ Antigone by Anna Synodinou’s Elliniki Skini. When her theatre company was ousted by the Colonels’ dictatorship, the theatre hosted a variety of events staged as part of the Athens Festival. In the Eighties, the focus switched to the non-classical musical repertoire: Greek and foreign singers, traditional Greek music and dance, ethnic music, jazz, electronic, contemporary dance, and theatre. Stars of the international musical scene have played Lycabettus, including Ray Charles, Joan Baez, Cesaria Evora, Amalia Rodriguez, Tangerine Dream, Milva, Radiohead, as well as Greek artists led by Mikis Theodorakis. As far as classical and contemporary dance is concerned, we need only mention the Alicia Alonso and Alvin Nikolai ballet companies, the Netherlands Dance Theatre, and Greece’s own National Opera, Chorodrama and the Athens Experimental Ballet.
