Thesmophoriazusae
by Aristophanes

Translation: Pantelis Boukalas
Direction: Vangelis Theodoropoulos
Music: Nikos Kypourgos
Costume design: Angelos Mentis
Set design: Magdalini Avgerinou
Choreography: Cecil Mikroutsikou
Lighting design: Sakis Birbilis
Assistant director: Pantelis Dentakis
Assistant to the set designer: Gina Iliopoulou
Assistant to the costume designer: Semina Lantavou
Music coaching: Anastasis Sarakatsanos
Cast: Makis Papadimitriou (Mnesilochus), Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos (Euripides), Giorgos Chrysostomou (Agathon, Bowman), Nantia Kontogeorgi (Micca), Eleni Ouzounidou (Herald), Andri Theodotou (Critylla), Maria Katsandri (Philista), Giorgos Papageorgiou (Agathon's servant, Cleisthenes)
Chorus of Thesmophoriazusae: Valeria Dimitriadou, Irene Makri, Katerina Maoutsou, Irida Mara, Fragiski Moustaki, Eleni Boukli, Ilektra Sarri, Natasa Sfendylaki, Antigoni Fryda
Musicians: Anastasis Sarakatsanos, Sofia Kakoulidou, Giota Panagi
Co-production: Α. Μ. Techni Choros - Municipal and Regional Theatre of Crete - Municipal and Regional Theatre of Ioannina -  Athens & Epidaurus Festival

Thesmophoriazusae, one of Aristophanes’ three 'women' plays, was written in 411 B.C., at a time when Democracy was overthrown and replaced by Oligarchy. In this play, women call for political stability. Nowadays, women are no longer in the same difficult position. They are no longer forced to merely fantasize about the institutions of the Polis instead of actively participating in them. However, there are still plenty of citizen groups with no access to the workings of the Polis. A play about gender, the quest of personal identity, the right to equal civil rights, the crisis in values, law and nature. Above all, a play bursting with humour and theatricality, enabling actors to be fully present on stage as political entities.
The performance will feature a new translation by Pantelis Boukalas, that is at once poetic and faithful to the original. In the footsteps of our previous collaboration in The Acharnians, I wanted to test the relevance and power of Aristophanes' text, without making any adjustments to the original.
I opted for a cast of established, mostly younger actors; having worked with many of them before, I believe our familiarity with create the conditions for effective onstage communication and a common performing language.
Composer Nikos Kypourgos, celebrated for the songs and scores he has recorded and contributed to the performing arts will create a soundscape that will be integral the plot; the songs and music of the performance will be performed live on stage by the entire cast, the latter thus becoming a live orchestra of sorts.
Visually, the performance will draw on Angelos Mentis' costumes and Magdalini Avgerinou's set design to allude to the recent history of Greece, retaining the freshness of our contemporary times.