On behalf of the Minister of Culture of the French Republic, the Ambassador of France to Greece, Laurence Auer, presented the insignia of the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters to Katerina Evangelatos, Artistic Director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival.
At the ceremony held at the French Embassy on January 31, Ambassador Auer also conferred the title of Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters upon director Michail Marmarinos, General Artistic Director of the 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture.
The insignia of the Order of Arts and Letters is one of the highest honours in France, awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to the fields of literature, arts, and culture. This prestigious distinction is granted to individuals of exceptional merit who have demonstrated excellence and made significant contributions to society from various disciplines, such as literature, music, theatre, cinema, and science, both in France and globally.
As the Ambassador of France remarked, Katerina Evangelatos’ appointment as the Artistic Director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival placed French artistic creation at the heart of the festival’s programming, with some of the most pivotal works in theatre, music, and dance being unveiled for their first time to Greek audiences.
Among the Festival’s notable international collaborations were co-productions with the Avignon Festival, Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe, the Festival d’Automne. Also highlighted was the presentation of France’s principal theatre troupe, Comédie-Française, with Molière’s Tartuffe, directed by Ivo van Hove, at Piraeus 260, and Hecuba, not Hecuba by Tiago Rodriguez, Artistic Director of the Avignon Festival, at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus.
Other remarkable French and Francophone artists, such as choreographer Kader Attou, Artistic Director of the Théâtre National de Strasbourg Caroline Guiela Nguyen, celebrated choreographer Jerôme Bel, groundbreaking director Philippe Quesne, distinguished director Gisèle Vienne, and award-winning trumpet soloist Ibrahim Maalouf, have also graced the Festival’s stages in recent years.
Furthermore, as Katerina Evangelatos mentioned in her acceptance speech, numerous Greek theatre and dance creators have similarly been invited to present their work at prominent French institutions.
Ambassador Auer also recalled Katerina Evangelatos’ first directorial work with the relatively unknown novella The Dead Woman in Love by Théophile Gautier, as well as her direction of the opera The Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach—one of the most cherished works among the French repertoire—at the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre in Russia.
The Ambassador praised Katerina Evangelatos’ artistic trajectory in Greece and internationally, foregrounding her outstanding contribution to the art of theatre and her deep affection for France and the French language. She further highlighted the significance of her work for cultural heritage, her creativity, and her artistic vision.
“Your passion for theatre, your ability to infuse ancient texts with new vitality while simultaneously engaging with the pressing issues of our era, your commitment to international collaborations, and, in particular, your deep ties to France, position you as an exceptional ambassador of culture,” Ambassador Auer said.
