A Pocketful of Miracles
A fairy-tale house built in 1928, Eilissos is a pocket-theatre for discerning audiences that will make you feel like you've stepped through to the other side of the mirror.
FRIDAY 5 JUNE 2015 ATHENS VIEWS page 19 (ARTS)
By Despina Pavlaki
Taking in a show at pocket-theatre Eilissos is like taking up art director Vassilis Kritikos on a dare. Going up a spiral staircase, it doesn’t take long to realise you’ve walked straight into an alternate universe. What you’ll encounter once you walk through the door of this 1928 house is entertainment in its purest form. But let’s take things from the top. Having spent more than 30 years in informatics, owner Vassilis Kritikos decided to take the plunge and follow his heart right before the credit crunch started creeping in. And yet, all he feels about giving up his business and dedicating himself to the arts is lucky. “I always had a great passion for music and theatre, ever since I was a little boy,” he muses. “So, after I hit 50, I decided to make my dream come true. That’s more or less how Eilissos was born and I’m happy to be able to do what I’ve always wanted.” The beautiful bones of this old Athenian residence, belonging to his wife’s family, have remained untouched, shrouding all performances in a cloud of mystery. In fact, the feeling you’ve walked right into someone’s house never really leaves you, reinforced by the owner’s warm-hearted welcome, complete with a glass of wine or a simple bonbon. Each room seems to be alive with memories, housing Kritikos’ many collections along with antique furniture and a spirit of times gone by. It’s like a vault of memories, a Pandora’s box, but nothing bad could ever come of unleashing its secrets. At Eilissos, entertainment has a different kind of intensity, coloured by the charmingly petite spaces that make you feel like Alice in Wonderland – after you’ve taken a bite of the magic mushroom. Watching a performance in what appears to have been the family living room, means sitting elbow-to-elbow with a complete stranger. The only thing the two of you will have in common is your burning desire to be part of this oncein-a-lifetime experience. The Eilissos repertoire is varied and often unexpected. From forgotten, hard-to-find films, to pocket-theatre shows, chamber music performances and vocal acrobatics, courtesy of baritones and sopranos, it all feels surprising and new – probably because the distance between the artist and the audience is almost abolished. “We usually choose performances that fit the space and our artistic vision,” says Kritikos. “Eilissos functions as a platform for new and established artists with unusual proposals and we do our best to foster creativity. It has become something of a tradition, so people usually approach us with very interesting suggestions”.
Candidly Yours
One of the most unforgettable performances of this past season, to be staged in English in London’s Lion and Unicorn Theatre on June 6th and at Andipa Gallery on June 7th, was “Candid”, a two-woman-show born out of a real-life encounter with an almost poetic resonance. Ingeniously inhabiting Eilissos’ chambers of miracles, “Candid”, which moved freely around the house before ending up in the main hall, is both mystical and casual at the same time. In its heart lies a friendship, the kind we’ve all experienced, cherished, buried and resurrected throughout our lifetimes. Our bond with a long-lost best friend. Devised by Vanio Papadelli and Tania Batzoglou, two Greek performers and drama scholars based in the UK, “Candid” has all the trappings of a truth or dare game, complete with the girlish whimsy and the bite of bitterness that often undercuts female relationships. Papadelli and Batzoglou undergo a series of spontaneous transformations in front of your very eyes, pushing into each other with the ravenous hunger of discovery that later drives them apart. Remember girlhood, when you and your best friend almost felt like two slivers of the same person? “Candor” takes that early sense of complete identification and rolls it around its tongue in a cascade of poetry that sounds totally mysterious and utterly familiar all at once. Building a dramatic landscape of highs and lows, the two actresses hold their audiences captive, using intense physicality and video to communicate what keeps them together and rips them apart. This insightful exploration of the female psyche was born out of real-life drama, when the two met at the Central School of Speech and Drama, where they were researching their doctoral thesis under the same supervisor. “We’d heard about each other in Athens but we essentially connected in London,” says Papadelli, whose main focus is on physical theatre. The triangle between the two women and their professor, undercut by constant comparison, pushed them down paths they later decided to explore, long after competition had given way to something much more meaningful. “After we completed our PhDs and been through the wringer, we decided to reexamine our experience, informed by tough relationships with other women, both in the art world and academia,” says Batzoglou. The outcome is a moving piece that traverses an entire lifetime, from girlhood all the way to adulthood, until they finally reach catharsis through mutual candor. The two women have committed to performing “Candid” at least once a year until one of them dies, a tough resolution that will push them to redefine their friendship as long as they both shall live. Is there anything more candid than that?
June 6 at Lion and Unicorn
Theatre (42-44 Gaisford St,
Kentish Town, NW5 2ED,
London, UK,
Tel: +44 (0) 8444 771 000,
www.lionandunicorntheatre.com)
June 7 at Andipa Gallery
(162 Walton Street, SW3 2JL,
London, UK, Tel: +44 (0) 20
7589 2371, http://andipa.com)
By Despina Pavlaki
Taking in a show at pocket-theatre Eilissos is like taking up art director Vassilis Kritikos on a dare. Going up a spiral staircase, it doesn’t take long to realise you’ve walked straight into an alternate universe. What you’ll encounter once you walk through the door of this 1928 house is entertainment in its purest form. But let’s take things from the top. Having spent more than 30 years in informatics, owner Vassilis Kritikos decided to take the plunge and follow his heart right before the credit crunch started creeping in. And yet, all he feels about giving up his business and dedicating himself to the arts is lucky. “I always had a great passion for music and theatre, ever since I was a little boy,” he muses. “So, after I hit 50, I decided to make my dream come true. That’s more or less how Eilissos was born and I’m happy to be able to do what I’ve always wanted.” The beautiful bones of this old Athenian residence, belonging to his wife’s family, have remained untouched, shrouding all performances in a cloud of mystery. In fact, the feeling you’ve walked right into someone’s house never really leaves you, reinforced by the owner’s warm-hearted welcome, complete with a glass of wine or a simple bonbon. Each room seems to be alive with memories, housing Kritikos’ many collections along with antique furniture and a spirit of times gone by. It’s like a vault of memories, a Pandora’s box, but nothing bad could ever come of unleashing its secrets. At Eilissos, entertainment has a different kind of intensity, coloured by the charmingly petite spaces that make you feel like Alice in Wonderland – after you’ve taken a bite of the magic mushroom. Watching a performance in what appears to have been the family living room, means sitting elbow-to-elbow with a complete stranger. The only thing the two of you will have in common is your burning desire to be part of this oncein-a-lifetime experience. The Eilissos repertoire is varied and often unexpected. From forgotten, hard-to-find films, to pocket-theatre shows, chamber music performances and vocal acrobatics, courtesy of baritones and sopranos, it all feels surprising and new – probably because the distance between the artist and the audience is almost abolished. “We usually choose performances that fit the space and our artistic vision,” says Kritikos. “Eilissos functions as a platform for new and established artists with unusual proposals and we do our best to foster creativity. It has become something of a tradition, so people usually approach us with very interesting suggestions”.
Candidly Yours
One of the most unforgettable performances of this past season, to be staged in English in London’s Lion and Unicorn Theatre on June 6th and at Andipa Gallery on June 7th, was “Candid”, a two-woman-show born out of a real-life encounter with an almost poetic resonance. Ingeniously inhabiting Eilissos’ chambers of miracles, “Candid”, which moved freely around the house before ending up in the main hall, is both mystical and casual at the same time. In its heart lies a friendship, the kind we’ve all experienced, cherished, buried and resurrected throughout our lifetimes. Our bond with a long-lost best friend. Devised by Vanio Papadelli and Tania Batzoglou, two Greek performers and drama scholars based in the UK, “Candid” has all the trappings of a truth or dare game, complete with the girlish whimsy and the bite of bitterness that often undercuts female relationships. Papadelli and Batzoglou undergo a series of spontaneous transformations in front of your very eyes, pushing into each other with the ravenous hunger of discovery that later drives them apart. Remember girlhood, when you and your best friend almost felt like two slivers of the same person? “Candor” takes that early sense of complete identification and rolls it around its tongue in a cascade of poetry that sounds totally mysterious and utterly familiar all at once. Building a dramatic landscape of highs and lows, the two actresses hold their audiences captive, using intense physicality and video to communicate what keeps them together and rips them apart. This insightful exploration of the female psyche was born out of real-life drama, when the two met at the Central School of Speech and Drama, where they were researching their doctoral thesis under the same supervisor. “We’d heard about each other in Athens but we essentially connected in London,” says Papadelli, whose main focus is on physical theatre. The triangle between the two women and their professor, undercut by constant comparison, pushed them down paths they later decided to explore, long after competition had given way to something much more meaningful. “After we completed our PhDs and been through the wringer, we decided to reexamine our experience, informed by tough relationships with other women, both in the art world and academia,” says Batzoglou. The outcome is a moving piece that traverses an entire lifetime, from girlhood all the way to adulthood, until they finally reach catharsis through mutual candor. The two women have committed to performing “Candid” at least once a year until one of them dies, a tough resolution that will push them to redefine their friendship as long as they both shall live. Is there anything more candid than that?
June 6 at Lion and Unicorn
Theatre (42-44 Gaisford St,
Kentish Town, NW5 2ED,
London, UK,
Tel: +44 (0) 8444 771 000,
www.lionandunicorntheatre.com)
June 7 at Andipa Gallery
(162 Walton Street, SW3 2JL,
London, UK, Tel: +44 (0) 20
7589 2371, http://andipa.com)
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Candid
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Candid
με τις Βανιώ Παπαδέλλη και Τάνια Μπατζόγλου
Δυο φίλες συναντιούνται σ’ένα σπίτι-θέατρο για να στήσουν ένα επικίνδυνο παιχνίδι θάρρους και αλήθειας. Η σχέση τους δοκιμάζεται από συνεχείς συγκρίσεις, σκοτεινές σκέψεις και συγκρούσεις. Η καθεμία καθρεφτίζεται στα μάτια, το σώμα και τα λόγια της άλλης φέρνοντας στην επιφάνεια και ανακατεύοντας μνήμες από προηγούμενες σχέσεις, αληθινές, μυθικές και φανταστικές. Μέσα από αινιγματικές αναμετρήσεις, οι δυο φίλες ξεσκεπάζουν την ανάγκη τους να ταυτιστούν και ταυτόχρονα να διαφέρουν. Η αμοιβαία ειλικρίνεια είναι αυτή που τις φέρνει αντιμέτωπες αλλά και που ουσιαστικά τις κρατά ενωμένες.
Μέσα από ένα συνδυασμό καθημερινού και αφαιρετικού λόγου, έντονης σωματικότητας, μεταμόρφωση του χώρου σε εγκατάσταση και χρήση βίντεο, η παράσταση πραγματεύεται την πολυπλοκότητα των γυναικείων σχέσεων όπως τις βιώνουμε και παρατηρούμε γύρω μας.
Οι δύο περφομέρ έχουν θέσει σαν στόχο να επαναλαμβάνουν αυτό το «παιχνίδι» μπροστά σε κοινό τουλάχιστον μια φορά κάθε χρόνο, προσδίδοντας έτσι στην παράστασή τους διαστάσεις τελετουργίας.
Διάρκεια: 1 ώρα
Τιμές εισιτηρίων: 10 Ευρώ, μειωμένο φοιτητών & ανέργων 7 ευρώ
Μέρες και ώρες παραστάσεων:
Πέμπτη 2, Παρασκευή 3 και Σάββατο 4 Απριλίου 2015 στις 9μμ
Θέατρο Ειλισσός
Αγλαονίκης 3 & Βουλιαγμένης 40, 117 43 Αθήνα,
Τηλ. Κρατήσεων 210 9214248 - 6944 301678
Photos - Video : Sonal Bakrania
με τις Βανιώ Παπαδέλλη και Τάνια Μπατζόγλου
Δυο φίλες συναντιούνται σ’ένα σπίτι-θέατρο για να στήσουν ένα επικίνδυνο παιχνίδι θάρρους και αλήθειας. Η σχέση τους δοκιμάζεται από συνεχείς συγκρίσεις, σκοτεινές σκέψεις και συγκρούσεις. Η καθεμία καθρεφτίζεται στα μάτια, το σώμα και τα λόγια της άλλης φέρνοντας στην επιφάνεια και ανακατεύοντας μνήμες από προηγούμενες σχέσεις, αληθινές, μυθικές και φανταστικές. Μέσα από αινιγματικές αναμετρήσεις, οι δυο φίλες ξεσκεπάζουν την ανάγκη τους να ταυτιστούν και ταυτόχρονα να διαφέρουν. Η αμοιβαία ειλικρίνεια είναι αυτή που τις φέρνει αντιμέτωπες αλλά και που ουσιαστικά τις κρατά ενωμένες.
Μέσα από ένα συνδυασμό καθημερινού και αφαιρετικού λόγου, έντονης σωματικότητας, μεταμόρφωση του χώρου σε εγκατάσταση και χρήση βίντεο, η παράσταση πραγματεύεται την πολυπλοκότητα των γυναικείων σχέσεων όπως τις βιώνουμε και παρατηρούμε γύρω μας.
Οι δύο περφομέρ έχουν θέσει σαν στόχο να επαναλαμβάνουν αυτό το «παιχνίδι» μπροστά σε κοινό τουλάχιστον μια φορά κάθε χρόνο, προσδίδοντας έτσι στην παράστασή τους διαστάσεις τελετουργίας.
Διάρκεια: 1 ώρα
Τιμές εισιτηρίων: 10 Ευρώ, μειωμένο φοιτητών & ανέργων 7 ευρώ
Μέρες και ώρες παραστάσεων:
Πέμπτη 2, Παρασκευή 3 και Σάββατο 4 Απριλίου 2015 στις 9μμ
Θέατρο Ειλισσός
Αγλαονίκης 3 & Βουλιαγμένης 40, 117 43 Αθήνα,
Τηλ. Κρατήσεων 210 9214248 - 6944 301678
Photos - Video : Sonal Bakrania
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Candid
by Vanio Papadelli and Tania Batzoglou
Two friends meet in a house-theatre in order to construct a dangerous ‘truth or dare’ game. Their relationship is challenged through continuous comparisons, dark thoughts and conflicts. Each one is reflected in the eyes, body and words of the other by unveiling and blending memories from previous relationships, real, mythical or imaginary. Through enigmatic encounters, the two friends uncover their need to be identical and at the same time different. It is their mutual candour that brings them face to face and that essentially keeps them connected.
Through a mix of everyday and more abstract speech, intense physicality, installation-type use of the space, and video, the show deals with the complexity of female relationships as we experience within and observe them around us.
The two performers have committed themselves to expose this ‘game’ to an audience at least once every year, in a way that imparts to their performance dimensions of a ritual.
Photos - Video : Sonal Bakrania
by Vanio Papadelli and Tania Batzoglou
Two friends meet in a house-theatre in order to construct a dangerous ‘truth or dare’ game. Their relationship is challenged through continuous comparisons, dark thoughts and conflicts. Each one is reflected in the eyes, body and words of the other by unveiling and blending memories from previous relationships, real, mythical or imaginary. Through enigmatic encounters, the two friends uncover their need to be identical and at the same time different. It is their mutual candour that brings them face to face and that essentially keeps them connected.
Through a mix of everyday and more abstract speech, intense physicality, installation-type use of the space, and video, the show deals with the complexity of female relationships as we experience within and observe them around us.
The two performers have committed themselves to expose this ‘game’ to an audience at least once every year, in a way that imparts to their performance dimensions of a ritual.
Photos - Video : Sonal Bakrania