From the Athens & Epidaurus Festival 2012 programme of events:

“Last year we talked about finding order in pessimism. So what should we talk about now that we are one step further on, or rather one step further down? About rage or indignation or both? Or maybe, despite everything, about hope?

Is one step further far enough? Can art really help? Is it necessary? Or has this crushing crisis rendered it useless and redundant? Can art alleviate the anxiety? Or just help us see things from a different perspective, distance ourselves a bit, acquire another sensibility, while still being ready for the battles ahead?

And while a thousand questions remain unanswered and everything points to us being all at sea with no safe haven in sight – and if the state of things is gauged in terms of public debt, recession, the cult of austerity, the new poverty and unemployment – then on the other hand the search for a new identity, dignity, transcendence, and opportunities for young people can only emerge as the necessary counterweight […] History did not end; it never ends, it is simply manifesting itself as a crisis, primarily of values. And when a society is brought face to face with critical problems, it usually works to the benefit of art and culture.”

-Yorgos Loukos,

Chairman & Artistic Director

I don’t want to jump on the tail of any of the blog posts that haven’t gotten up yet about our experiences as audience members at either Schaubuehne Berlin’s The Return of Ulysses or Elliniko Theatro’s Socrates NOW, but it’s very clear that the state of things here is playing a very active (and vital) role in the state of theater. Both as young artists and audience members, it’s an unnerving, artistically dangerous, and extremely exciting time to be in Greece.

Annika

On Friday, we spent our day traveling to the southernmost tip of Attica, Thorikos and Cape Sounio.  We took a coach bus with a new tour guide, Αγγελικι, aka Λενα.  Our first stop was at Thorikos, which is home to one of the oldest theatres in the world. The theatre is from the 6^th century B.C.  We don’t exactly know what was performed in this theatre, because it predates the ancient plays, but we assume that choral performances took place here.  From the rows of seats, by seats I mean reconstructed slabs of rock, you can see water which harbors Greece’s “Long Island.”  Their Long Island is a bit different from ours, as it was used as a prison, most famously from the mid 60’s to mid 70’s to hold political (communist) dissenters.

Thorikos isn’t only famous for its ancient theatre, but also for its silver mine.  In fact, there is a mine entrance right next to the theatre.  When this ancient Greeks were deciding what to do with this prosperous collection of silver, they found that they had two options.  The option which was originally under discussion was a plan that would distribute silver to all of the Athenians.  I’m sure this was enormously popular.  The other idea, brought forward by a man named Themistocles was to build an enormous navy which would set Athens apart from all the other city states.  In the end, the Athenians decided that a navy was probably the best choice of action, a choice that definitely paid off during the Persian Wars.

After Thorikos we headed to Cape Sounio.  Now this is a truly amazing place. The Cape is surrounded by water on all sides, except for the small stick of land that keeps it attached to the coast.  On the crest of the Cape is the Temple of Poseidon.  From this Temple you can see all of the ships that pass in and out of the ports surrounding Athens. In ancient times, a ship would depart from port and then stop at the Temple.  The shipmates would pray at the Temple and likely make a sacrifice or give a gift to the God in order to ensure a safe journey across the Mediterranean.  Out of all the places we have been in and around Athens, this is my favorite spot.  The wind is constantly blowing and you can feel the presence of something powerful on the Cape.

On our way back from Cape Sounio, we drove along the southern coastline back toward Athens.  I’ve never seen water as clear and turquoise as this water. As a northeasterner I’m always stunned by water that isn’t a dark blue/green mass of angry waves.

After much deserved 3-hour siestas, we ventured out to a bar to support the Greeks in their attempt against Germany.  Though it was a rough game, the bar we were in was a blast: Small, cramped, lots of Greeks, lots of American music from the 70’s. It was happenin’.  We are planning another excursion there on Wednesday to watch Portugal v Spain, or possibly Thursday  to watch Germany v Italy

Our day on Friday was tiring, but followed by a completely free weekend of just rehearsing and fleamarket adventures.  Though we had quite a theatrical experience Sunday night, which will be blogged soon.

Greece remains as ζεστι (hot) as ever! Stay φρεδο (cool, or iced… I forget!)

-Savannah (not Annika)

Panteleimon Melissinos (also known as Pantelis, "the poet's son") at work.

We started Wednesday with our Greek class with Angeliki, which focused on food and reading the menus in restaurants and tavernas. When we asked about sugar substitues and low-fat options, Angeliki gave us a completely incredulous look. “This is something you can not find here,” she informed us, a little shocked we would even ask. While Angeliki claims prices for produce and fresh goods have skyrocketed over the last decade, they seem pretty reasonable to kids who grew up in a culture where manufactured food is far more readily available, and we prove it by showing up to class with breakfasts of fruit bought by the kilo from street vendors in Monastiraki Square or freshly baked bread from the bakery on the way to CYA. After class, several of us made our way back towards downtown Athens on a mission – sandal-shopping.

Pantelis Melissinos is a third-generation sandalmaker, and his business is now in its 92nd year. He studied at Parsons in New York and worked there for years, but America, as he said in an interview, felt empty – “I thought to myself: ‘Who am I going to be in five years? A success story running to my shrink and my guru?'” He returned to Athens to immerse himself in culture and theater, reflected in his storefront, where his art is on display alongside his shoes and the autographed photos of his more famous customers (including Jackie Onassis, Sophia Loren, Barbara Streisand, and the Beatles.) While we had a long wait as all our sandals were adjusted by hand, it was a lovely place to spend the early afternoon – and in case we were missing New Jersey a little too much, a woman from our favorite state came breezing in as we were packing up to go and began ordering the apprentice around in the requisite Jersey accent. Home sweet home?

Since Wednesday is our weekly beach day, we spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun on a beach at the edge of the city before returning to the Pangrati neighborhood for dinner, card games, and rehearsals. Tonight we’re headed to the theater and tomorrow we’re off on more weekend adventures – even though we’re in a country where life moves slowly and takes nap breaks, there’s never a dull moment.

Till next time!

Annika