Bitef

giorgos lazanis (prvi horovođa)

mimis kouyoumtzis, nikos karalambous, giorgos armenis, yannis degaitis, panos chrissikakos, kostas chalkias (horovode)

yannis rigas, charts sozos, nikos mastoratis, defkalion komis, stathis voutos, thanassis karayannis, nikos mitroyannopoulos, staphanos kotsikos, thodoros boyadzis, andreas

galanopoulos, vassilis kountzis, periklis karakonstantoglou, giorgos tsandolias, melina ramvaka, rana partheniadou, melina papanestora, eleni sor opon (hör)

spiros sakkas (solo pevač) reni pittaki ( slant])

irinì ìnglessi, pepi economopoulou, rasmy tsolepa (tri so ve)

horom dirìguje: spros sakkas

the greek

When in 1942 the founding of the » Art Theatre« was announced, nobody

art

theatre

'^ m of Greece he introduced Lorca, Tennessee Williams, Miller, Wilder to the Greek public. Financial and other reasons forced Koun in 1949 to suspend the activities of the »Art Theatre«. In 1954 however, together with a group of young students, Koun started again the » Art Theatre«, now under its own roof, adopting the form of ghe theatre-in-the-round. The Athenians found once more an atmosphere of initiation and the small basement theatre became a centre and

a symbol of serious and courageous work. Together with the older playwrights Shakespeare, Chekhov,

,even suspected how important this new company was to become for the Greek theatre in general. Till then the Greek stage had not

lacked either in good actors or lin excellent productions. That »poor« company however managed to work as an

unanimous ensemble, where actors served the play and not the play the actors. In the gloom of the German occupation the »Art Theatre« became a source of magic for the Greek public and for the Greek theatre a valuable school of self-denial, responsible interpretation and team work. With very poor means, infinite privations, fighting against a multitude of difficulties, Karolos Koun went on, his faith unshaken. He staged plays by Ibsen, Shaw, Pirandello and after the liberation

O Casey, Büchner, Vitrac Koun presented the new trends prevailing in the foreign post-war theatre Brecht, lonesco, Beckett, Frisch, Genet, Altee, Weiss, Arrabal, Pinter, Bond, Van Itallie, Gombrowicz, Dario Fo and, in parallel, offered his affection and his » tribune « to quite a few of the youngest and most talented Greek playwrights Sevastikoglou, Kamb anelli s, Kehaidis, Anagnostaki, Skourtis.

In 1957, from the closed space and the avantgarde of the theatre-in-the-round, Koun returned to the open-air stage and to the oldest theatrical sources. He first produced »Ploutos« by Aristophanes, then in 1959 »The Birds«. It is with this production that, in 1962 at the » Théâtre des Nations« in Paris and in 1964 at the London World Theatre Season, Koun won international renown. The success was such a great one, that the »Art Theatre « was invited the following year as well to London, where »The Birds « were performed and for the first time » The Persians « by Aeschylus, which were acclaimed with equal enthusiasm. The same year »The Persians « were performed at the »Théâtre des Nations« in Paris. In 1966 Koun presented at the Athens Festival his production of » The Frogs « by Aristophanes and made a tour through Europe with »The Birds « and » The Persians« (Zurich, Munich, Moscow, Leningrad, Warsaw, Venice). In 1969 he again visited London and presented his production of »Lysis trata« and »Oedipus Rex«. In 1972 the » Art Theatre« celebrated the 30th anniversary since its founding and on that oçcasion produced plays by young Greek authors, that had been first presented to the Greek public by the »Art Theatre«. At the same time a summer theatre and a second winter stage were created, which offered the » Art Theatre « the possibility of addressing a wider public.

Two Athenians, )Peisthetairos and Evelpides, search for the birds with whose

summary

help they intend to build a new city, between heaven and earth, » with no politicians, nor tribunals, nor slanderers«. Led by a crow and a jackdaw, they reach a mountain-top and meet the Hoopoe formerly a human being, Tereus, King of Thrace who explains their plan to the birds. Peisthetairos tells them that they were once masters of the world and urges them to reclaim their ancient sovereignty from the Gods. By building a walled city in the air they will prevent the Gods from communicating with men.

A sacrifice inaugurates the building of the new city (called Nephelococcygia) but only after many interruptions by a host of adventurers, a Poet, a Soothsayer, a