Gender roles through Aristophanes’ “Τhesmophoriazusaes”

Theatre Summer Camp – Pilio 2018, Greece

26/8-1/9/2018, Agios Ioannis Beach Pilio Greece

Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network  (www.TheatroEdu.gr)

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Short WORKSHOP

Gender roles through Aristophanes’ “Τhesmophoriazusaes”

Elpida Komianou actress-drama pedagogue,
Eleni Drivakou drama pedagogue-social worker

Language: Greek

On the occasion of Aristophanes’ “Τhesmophoriazusaes” we will examine issues related to gender "conflict", gender roles, and imitation -mimisis - as a source of detection of our mental identity that works beyond stereotypes. By involving drama in education techniques like teacher in role, debate and ‘’woosh’’, participants will engage in an experiential game with the above play.

The program was designed in the winter of 2018 by Elpida Komianou and Eleni Drivakou and was presented to adults in the program "Educating audiences in Ancient Drama" as part of the concurrent activities of the Epidaurus Lyceum in the Athens Epidaurus Festival.

Elpida Komianou studied acting at the Drama School “Morfes” - Embros Theater between 1996-2000. She graduated from the University of Peloponnese, Faculty of fine arts, Theater Studies Department (2014-2018). She was a founding member of the Municipal Theater of Nafplio, where she worked as an actress, as a member of the Artistic Committee and she was also responsible for the production of many of her performances (1993-2013). Βetween the years 2000-2003, she was a member of the Ab ovo Cultural Events Company, a non-profit urban organization, where experiential seminars were conducted to students of Architecture. She worked as a drama teacher in primary education (2003-2004). During the period 2014-2016 she worked, as a researcher - member of the research documentation team of the project ARCH Archival Research and Cultural Heritage, The Theatre Archive of Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio - Romeo Castellucci’s. She is a co-founder of the Kaleidoscope, a space of expression for all ages in Nafplio, where she has been running the Creative Theater program since 2013. She is a drama facilitator in the programs Educating audiences in Ancient Drama and Epidaurus Creative Worshop for children. She is a facilitator and local contract in the regional unit of Argolis for the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network

 Eleni Drivakou was born on December 1, 1977 in Sparta, Laconia Greece. In May 2001, she graduated from the University of Heraklion with a degree from the Social Work Department and in June 2005 she obtained her degree in Pedagogics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Meanwhile she did her practicum as a social worker at the Jugent Center Between in Bregenz, Austria for one semester. Upon returning to Greece, she worked in a speech therapy clinic with children with disabilities. In addition to her studies in Pedagogy, she completed the 1st and the 2nd rounds of studies at the Drama Workshop Parathlasi for two years, followed by a year of observation at the theatrical workshop HOROS with Simos Kakalas and Thodoris Oikonomidis in Thessaloniki. In the last twelve years, she has been working in the field of education, while also attending her fourth year of academic studies in the Department of Theater Studies - Faculty of fine arts of the University of Peloponnese in Nafplio and her second year of study in the Drama-therapy method. In May 2001, she presented her thesis entitled “Dramatic Art as a tool in Social Work with groups of school-aged children”. She participates in the amateur theatrical group of Theatrodromio in Nafplio Greece, in the local Theatre of the Oppressed group and she is a drama facilitator in the program Educating audiences in Ancient Drama and in the Hellenic Theatre/Drama &  Education Network.