HELLENIC THEATRE/DRAM & EDUCATION NETWORK (TENet-Gr)
THEATRE SUMMER CAMP 2023
Chiliomodi town, Greece, 25-30/8/2023
MAIN WORKSHOP
"Actor as creator"
Kostas Papakonstantinou
LANGUAGE GREEK
Techniques of devised theatre, including basic rules of communication, interpretation of text, and the function of the partner will be the topics covered in the workshop. How does the actor function as a transmitter and receiver of the message? How does he or she become influential to the partner? How does the actor understand a text? How does he or she approach and interpret the most challenging lines in world dramaturgy, such as "I am a seagull," "To be or not to be?" or "We will live, Uncle Vanya"? Let's find the most "difficult" punchline, one that cannot be spoken at all, and experiment with it.
In this workshop, we will test the strength of the texts and our courage to stand freely on stage, expressing ourselves as we truly feel and think, rather than trying to meet the writer's expectations.
The actor is a creator who rewrites the play from the beginning, using the author's own words. Saying "He's a seagull" is no longer awkward or cliché; it becomes breathtaking and redemptive.
Kostas Papakonstantinou graduated from Veaki Drama School in 1996. He attended the theatrical workshop of Vassilis Diamantopoulos for one year and participated in acting seminars with V. Papavasiliou, G. Houvardas, and others. Since 1999, he has worked as an actor and since 2012 as a director. As an actor, he has worked with the National Theatre, Athens Epidaurus Festival, Sp.Evaggelatou Amphitheatre, Regional Theatres of Crete, Rhodes, and North Aegean, "Schedia" Theatre, and groups such as "Noiti Grammi" and "Pequod," among others. He has also appeared in films and TV series, collaborating with directors like Tasos Psaras, Christos Dimas, Pigi Dimitrakopoulou, Antonis Tembos, Alexandros Pantazoudis, Paris Patsouridis, Konstantinos Antonopoulos, and more. As a director, he has directed productions at the National Theatre, Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, Music Library at Megaron Athens Concert Hall, Regional Theatre of Kozani, and independent theaters. His directorial works include plays such as "The Chalassochorides" by Al. Papadiamantis, "The Roman Bath" by St. Stratiev, "Suicide Victim" by Michael Mitsakis, "Mazochtra" by Argyros Efthaliotis, "The Little Rope" by Nadiya Dracula, "Angela" by G. Sevastikoglou, "Between Piraeus and Neapolis" by G. Viziinos, Papadopoulos, "The Rope" by G. P. Papadopoulos, "Masked" by Ilan Hachor, "Woyzeck" by G. Buchner, "Marriage" by M. Pontika, "With the Pen Sword" by M. Pitenis, and "Spring Awakening" by Frank Wedekind. He teaches acting at the drama school of the Piraeus Association and directs the theater workshop for adolescents. He has collaborated in teenage theater programs with the Piraeus Regional Theatre and the Municipality of Maroussi. Additionally, he has led theater workshops for teenagers and adults, teaching acting in seminars for amateur and professional actors. In the summer of 2017, he was among the guests of the Hellenic Association of Theatre and Performing Arts Critics and participated as a panel speaker in the One-day Meeting organized by the Association in collaboration with the Hellenic Festival. The topic of the discussion was "Adaptation of Literary Texts on the Contemporary Stage." He has also taught the course "Dramatization of Literature" in the postgraduate program of the Department of Theatre Studies at the University of Athens. In October 2021, he participated as a speaker in the 4th International Conference on Alexandros Papadiamantis organized by the Society for Papadiamantine Studies. The topic of the Conference was "The Diachronicity of Papadiamantis (Literature, Painting, Theatre, Cinema, Television, Music)." In the year 2022-23, he assumed the role of director for the amateur adult theater groups of the Municipality of Zografou.