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3rd YEAR OF SUCCESS…
The landmark performance for Greek theatre continued for a third year until December 11 in Athens and from December 25 until March 5 in Thessaloniki.
The production of the Foundation of the Hellenic World "Smyrna, My Beloved" by Mimi Denisi, which moved thousands of spectators, returns by popular demand for a third (!) consecutive year at the "Theatron" of the "Hellenic Cosmos" Cultural Centre from November 4 to December 11 and from December 25 to March 5 at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall.
For three consecutive years, in the sold-out "Antigone" hall with a capacity of 1,000 seats, audiences experienced a unique journey and became witnesses to the authentic life of Smyrna: the dances, the songs, the carefree and cosmopolitan life of the city, as well as, minute by minute, the historical events that led to the painful destruction and uprooting.
The Foundation of the Hellenic World implemented the performance with a team of outstanding actors and artistic contributors, live music, rich sets, period costumes and authentic photographic material with three-dimensional projections from the legendary city, always faithful to its mission to keep historical memory alive.
A multitude of personalities from the intellectual world attended the performance, with highlights including, among others, the visit of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Mr. Ieronymos, and the visit of the renowned actress and activist Vanessa Redgrave.
The play, which was loved like no other by audiences in Greece and received rave reviews, continues for a third year this year, after being presented with great success in October in Cyprus, at the Strovolos Municipal Theatre, following an invitation by the President of the Cyprus Red Cross, Fotini Papadopoulou (wife of the former President of the Republic of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos).
For three consecutive years, in the sold-out "Antigone" hall with a capacity of 1,000 seats, audiences experienced a unique journey and became witnesses to the authentic life of Smyrna: the dances, the songs, the carefree and cosmopolitan life of the city, as well as, minute by minute, the historical events that led to the painful destruction and uprooting.
The Foundation of the Hellenic World implemented the performance with a team of outstanding actors and artistic contributors, live music, rich sets, period costumes and authentic photographic material with three-dimensional projections from the legendary city, always faithful to its mission to keep historical memory alive.
A multitude of personalities from the intellectual world attended the performance, with highlights including, among others, the visit of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Mr. Ieronymos, and the visit of the renowned actress and activist Vanessa Redgrave.
The play, which was loved like no other by audiences in Greece and received rave reviews, continues for a third year this year, after being presented with great success in October in Cyprus, at the Strovolos Municipal Theatre, following an invitation by the President of the Cyprus Red Cross, Fotini Papadopoulou (wife of the former President of the Republic of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos).
PLOT
A noble lady of Smyrna, Filio, remembers and longs for her life there. Her mind drifts away from the refugee neighborhood where she now lives and relives the golden era of cosmopolitan Smyrna, when it was for everyone the Pearl of the East, the Paradise of Ionia, and the City of the Infidels for the Ottomans. Filio’s husband, like her father and her children, a fervent Greek and supporter of Venizelos, lives with the dream of the Great Idea. His brother and his family, also successful merchants, royalists and fervent Asia Minor Greeks, want Smyrna to be autonomous. The relationships between the two families, the harmonious coexistence with Turks and Levantines, the unfulfilled, forbidden loves between different ethnicities, their celebrations, songs, and dreams dominate the play. However, the historical events that affect everyone's lives without their control also play an important role, from the arrival of the Greeks as liberators to the destruction of the city’s unique beauty and the forced migration. Through the story of the family, the broader history of Smyrna unfolds.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
“They say that to write a good play, you must not think about the director or the producer. You must let imagination freely guide the hand that writes. That is what I did when writing the play. That is the difficulty I created for myself as a director! Smyrna is a complex work; it requires deep emotion, a lot of humor, changes of imagery, music, and song. It is a family story that is part of the Great History of the period 1917–1923. Everything must come together harmoniously, to evoke— as much as possible —the unmatched atmosphere of the lost Greek Smyrna, which always stimulates our imagination.
My good fortune was that I had excellent actors and collaborators and above all the “protection” of the Foundation of the Hellenic World, whose creators come from those lands.
Many times I felt genuine emotion while directing or performing, and I believe the audience will feel the same. Because we all carry a piece of Smyrna within us, even if we are not from there. Cities are not their buildings, but the people who inhabit them! The refugees never returned there, but they brought Ionia to us and made it part of our hearts.”
My good fortune was that I had excellent actors and collaborators and above all the “protection” of the Foundation of the Hellenic World, whose creators come from those lands.
Many times I felt genuine emotion while directing or performing, and I believe the audience will feel the same. Because we all carry a piece of Smyrna within us, even if we are not from there. Cities are not their buildings, but the people who inhabit them! The refugees never returned there, but they brought Ionia to us and made it part of our hearts.”
Mimi Denisi
