Eternal Love Takes the Stage - Erotokritos at the Nicosia International Festival

Reviving a Cretan Classic: Argyro Chioti's visionary direction brings 'Erotokritos' to life

The FastForward News Team

08 Jan 2024

The International Festival of Nicosia… which never ends, presents "Erotokritos" by the National Theatre of Northern Greece - a hymn to love

The verse novel of the Cretan Renaissance by Vitsentzos Kornaros, staged by the National Theatre of Northern Greece (NTNG), "Erotokritos," opens the curtain of the Nicosia International Festival… which never ends for the new year, on Wednesday, January 10, 2024.

The conception and direction of the production belong to Argyro Chioti, a familiar face at the Nicosia International Festival, where she presented Dante's "Divine Comedy" in 2019, a production of the Onassis Cultural Centre.

The classic work of Cretan theater unfolds in a first reading the love full of obstacles and socially uneven between the only daughter of the king of Athens, Aretousa, and the son of the king's loyal advisor, Erotokritos.

A fairy tale that overflows with emotion and celebrates love. Beyond the fascinating love story, the plot sheds light on critical issues of the times, in relation to the limits of human will and the conflict with the social norms of the time.

It focuses on the character of Aretousa, a woman who does not passively accept her fate but claims her self-determination with courage, passion, and hope. The performance incorporates a poem, a women's manifesto written specifically for the production by Iranian author Rahil Fallahfar, influenced by the struggles of women in her country.

A purely revolutionary text, "Erotokritos" gave the contributors, especially Argyro Chioti, the opportunity to utilize the very high vibration and the incredible power of love. "We really want this power to be transferred in some way to every decision of the person at any level... It is very important not to be afraid to reach the extremes of your choice at any cost," says the director of the performance.

The performance emphasizes the power of storytelling, and especially, music. The rhythm of speech and bodies compose a modern theatrical experience. Stick-fights are turned into dance battles, serenades are sung with the accompaniment of electric bass, while the music, performed live on piano, cello, and drums, is an original composition by Lola Totsiou.

The Production

"Erotokritos" was first published in Venice in 1713 and was first staged in Greek theater by Marika Kotopouli in 1929, in an adaptation by Theodoros Synadinos and directed by Spyros Mela. The story of Erotokritos is written in verse, in a language that, as described by George Seferis, "expresses with a stable character, the sensitivity of the world that spoke it." A language that comes from the past and connects us with our folk tradition; it moves us and takes us on a journey.

Reviews of the Performance

"... with an absence of didacticism, Argyro Chioti adapts the famous “Erotokritos” as a story about love, forgiveness, and egoism. With honesty and immediacy, she conveys a poem, just as a reader would feel it, with colors, musicality, emotions." - (Pavlos Lemontzis, cityportal.gr.)

"Watching Argyro Chioti’s “Erotokritos”, one felt a breath of freshness, youth, and vitality that made the performance even more charming. A modern approach to the well-known work that treated the love story of Erotokritos and Aretousa as an opportunity to highlight the very topical issue of violence against women and to promote in a touching way the idea of equality, independence, and autonomy of women." - (Annia Kanakari, kulturosupa.gr/.)

The performance will take place at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre, at 20:30.

Contributors

Conception - Direction: Argyro Chioti

Adaptation - Dramaturgy: Efthymis Theou

Poem Writing: Rahil Fallahfar

Scenographic Space: Eva Manidaki

Costumes: Angelos Mentis

Music Composition - Music Teaching: Lola Totsiou

Movement: Sofia Papanikandrou, Dimitris Sotiriou

Lighting: Tasos Palaoroutas

Music Teaching: Chrysa Toumanidou

Assistant Director: Vicky Kitsiou