Main Workshops
Each participant should enroll and attend one "Main Workshop" for the whole week
(mornings, see time table for working hours)
There are also other "mini workshops" for participants to attend in the afternoons (see other pages)
Children 6-12 may enroll for the "Children's Workshop" or be accompanied by adult all times.
Youngs 13-20+ may enroll for the "Young Theatre Voices Workshop"
WORKSHOP 1: "Fusing theatre techniques to encounter new tragedies"
Ziad Adwan, Theatre Practitioner
workshop language: English (possible also German and Arabic)
Images and footage in the media show events that have gone beyond the imagination. On some occasions, metaphors, such as refugees crawling to Europe or death boats, have become the real description of real events.
How can theatre makers and social activists correspond to the escalation of world tragedies? Are we lacking new vocabularies? Are we still dependant on the same old techniques and methodologies that were used in the twentieth century?
The workshop focuses on the role of theatre makers and activists in a world of non-stop tragedies. How can theatre makers find a position in places beyond the events rather than giving reactionary practices to the escalating events?
When refugees and local citizens encounter, reactions have been limited to either welcoming refugees or burning their camps. On the other side, the refugees’ behaviour has been stereotyped, ranging from fear from European authorities to allegation of harassing the ‘European social freedom’. These might be some normal reactions and attitudes, but what is next?
Using theatrical techniques brought from improvisation and Theatre of the Oppressed, the workshop aims at giving source materials to tackle the ongoing tragedies. It suggests techniques that fuse acting methods and other art forms for further workshops. Moreover, the workshop attempts to explore other unorthodox means of expression in order to reach noble values and correspond to good intentions.
The workshop gives the participants the chance to put their ideas in different frames, and to enable them to treat some social and psychological problems from different perspectives.
A short presentation might be performed by the end of the workshop.
Ziad Adwan is a Theatre Practitioner. He studied for an MA in Text and Performance Studies at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and King’s college in London, and then took a PhD in Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway; his thesis was on "Mistakes in Theatre". He taught Performance Theory, System of Rehearsals and Mask techniques at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damasucs/ Syria. Ziad has acted in several plays and movies (including roles in Spielberg's Munich and The Hamburg Cell), and directed theatre. He was the artistic director of Invisible Stories, a series of street theatre events that take place in different places in Damascus. Currently Ziad directs in Germany and has run several workshops with regugees and young artists. He is currently affiliated with the Global Theatre Histories research project at LMU Munich. Ziad is a partner at Tanween Theatre and Dance Company.
WORKSHOP 2: Techniques for creating documentary performances
Georgia Mavragani, Director
a workshop part of the YouthDOCs Short Traing Course
workshop language: Greek & English
In this main workshop we will explore some basic principles that specify the theatrical art and acting, we will get in touch with the art and technique of theatrical storytelling and finally learn how elements that seem to be outside the theater field, such as historical data, interviews and other "documents" etc, which can be excellent materials for a theatrical performance.
Participants are asked to bring a topic, an idea, an image, a song, a text, a material of their previous investigation, a "document", anything that could be a motive, in order to explore together, how this idea could become a theatrical performance.
Georgia Mavragani lives in Athens. She studied pedagogy in the University of Patras and Theatre at The University Athens, Department of Theatre Studies and in the Master Section of DasArts school in Amsterdam. Between 2000-2004 she worked as an assistant director with many important Greek theater directors such as Giannis Houvardas, Michael Marmarinos, Giannis Moschos, Vicky Georgiadi, Theodoros Gonis. Since 2004 she has directed, among other, the performances: “The Maids” of Jean Genet, “Tabataba” of Bernard-Marie Koltès, “Fairytaile for two” of Philip Ridley, “Happy end” of Truman Capote, “Requiem” of Fernando Renjifo, “Fragile” (original performances), and many theatre documentary plays. She teaches acting at drama school Delos in Athens. At the same time works, since 2003, as a teacher in public primary schools. In 2005 she founded the theater group Happy End.
WORKSHOP 3: "Are we all met?" A Midsummer Night's Dream, from text to action.
Giannis Stefopoulos, actor
Workshop Language Greek
The workshop is based on improvisation on the scenes of the craftsmen (the Mechanicals) from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. A workshop that uses humor, imagination, poetry, rhythm and theatricality in order to devise an imaginative theatrical action with large and mixed groups consisted of young people, students, amateurs, actors.
This workshop aims at exploring the questions;
How do we read a theatrical text?
How to choose elements from the text that can be transformed into stage action?
How can we move from improvisation to characters?
How can we work with a diverse group of people in the theatrical act without excluding anyone?
This workshop is open to everyone regardless of experience, age, specialty.
Giannis Stefopoulos graduated from the Veaki Drama School in 1987. He has been a member of the theatrical group "Theama" for 12 years and has worked with the directors; G. Kakleas, E. Gonzales, G. Kimoulis, K. Philippoglou, M. Calbaris, G. Armenis, N. Armaos, G. Bostantzoglou, M. Moumouris etc., in plays of Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Koltès, Chekhov, Albee, Labiche, T. Ford, Pinter, Molière, Goldoni, Ruzzante, Ionesco, Copi and Sevastikoglou , Skarimbas, Bost, among many others. He has participated in film and television productions with directors such as Ch. Dimas, N. Iliadis, K. Tsakiris, L. Lazopoulos B. Rouan, B. Thomopoulos, A. Pantazoudis etc. He lives and works in Athens.
WORKSHOP 4: Can we dance our memories? dance and movement workshop
Evi Souli, dancer, choreographer
workshop language: Greek, English
During the workshop, we will try to search for our personal memory, as also for the collective memory. Which are our references and memories? How can we dance physically based on our experiences? Which is the power that excites us and moves us? Which is the relationship between rhythm and music? Do we dance the traditional songs, the rock songs and the jazz songs in the same way? In the end, can a person who dances by heart share that with the other people in common?
These are the questions that we will try to answer during this workshop.
Participants are asked to bring their personal experiences on dance. Throughout this process, we will collect material in order to create our personal story, written from the body, and we will recreate this material into something that concerns the people around us. We will insist on each one’s ways of expression and then we will develop this material, in order to create our personal choreography as a group, through the composition process. Conclusively, we will present a short performance, based on that material.
Evi Souli is a ballet and contemporary dancer , teacher and choreographer from Greece.She lives in Athens and was born in Zakynthos in 1989.She studied dance at “Rallou Manou Professional Dance School”(2007-2010) and she has attended lots of seminars during the last years with teachers from all around Europe :Jochen Hechmann, Stella Zanou ( SmackDance company) , Elias Lazaridis, Eulalia Ayguade Farro (Akram Khan Comprany), Athanasia Kanellopoulou ( Jasmin Vardimon company , Wuppertal dance theatre) , Andonis Foniadakis, Cruz Isael Mata . David Zambrano,Sofia Mavragani (Fingersix), Patrisia Apergi (Aerites). She has participated to performances ,festivals and foundations, such us Athens Biennale . Artogether festival , Onassis Cultrural Centre, Athens Video Dance Project , Theocharakis Foundation , Benaki museum . Her first choreographic work '' arsis / thesis '' was presented in Athens in February 2015 and in the international dance festival “Jarmila Jerabkova/New Europe”/Prague 2015. Also the next choreographic work called '' beyond collapse'' was presented in Athens 2016 , in a collaboration with rock musician Pavlo Pavlidi . Moreover she teach ballet , contemporary and improvisation .
WORKSHOP 5: "Adolescence and identities”| Theatre as process
"Young Theatre Voices 2016", (13-20)
Irene Koumparouli, actress, animator & Hara Tsoukala youth facilitator
WORKSHOP 6: «"Each one for one, each one for everyone!"
The rights guards..
"Children’s Workshop” (6-12)
Giouli Douvou, drama pedagogue