Friday, 8th March, and Saturday, 9th March | 9:00 PM |
Sunday, 10th March | 7:00 PM |
“The House of Gifts” by Antonis and Konstantinos Koufalis is coming to Kavala at the Antigone Valakou Theatre for just three performances: Friday, 8th March, and Saturday, 9th March, at 9:00 PM, and Sunday, 10th March, at 7:00 PM.
Three women—Eleni, Vasiliki, and Ioanna—share their traumas. Eleni carries her personal tragedy in the form of a tin fingernail that grew in place of the old one that blackened and fell off. This nail is her armor, her defense. It is what will define her and what will provide a solution… Vasiliki lives in a house where the air is absent. As the child of two problematic parents, she takes control of her life when she realizes her underage daughter is experiencing her own tragedy, lured by a doll… Ioanna is a teenager born a man in a woman’s body. She soon sheds her female identity when, dressed as a boy, she becomes the object of desire for a girl her own age. The outcome is tragic.
The play was awarded the State Theatre Prize in 2001.
Authors’ Note:
Female Baggage:
The three heroines of the play carry their baggage and open it in front of the audience. Inside are unhealed wounds, untold stories, memories they wish to forget, denials and disappointments, bitterness, and pieces of other lives they dreamed of but never got to enjoy. They are vulnerable yet determined to experience what they were given, ultimately paying the cost of their choices that go beyond measures and rules. A tin fingernail, a strange doll, and a knife are gifts—tools in the battle for justice, redemption, and sacrifice. These women existed and exist in Athens and beyond, in cities and villages, defining the place of their personal martyrdom in rooms without a mark, workplaces that drip saltwater, public restrooms, and disheartening mental landscapes. We loved and cared for them, but they trapped and frightened us. This painful journey towards their truth was a significant step for us towards self-awareness and catharsis.
Director’s Note:
“…be afraid when you do not feel pain. Pain is not a symptom; it is the beginning of healing…” (excerpt from “The House of Gifts”)
“The House of Gifts” is a harsh, truthful play, an introspection of the family, a family that exists and terrifies society, and a society that is indifferent and tolerates this harshness. A realistic play that touches the edges of poetry. Trying to find this connecting point between realism and poetry, we explore acting codes that bridge these two fields. The simple and “harsh” set, influenced by medieval brutality, combined with the use of live music, creates a dystopian family environment that permeates Greek society. Theatre ought to disturb, modify, and change the world; as proponents of this idea… onward to our evolution.
Cast:
Mikaela Dana: Vasiliki
Maria Karakitsou: Eleni
Katerina Parissinou: Ioanna
On-stage Musician (cello): Kleopatra Dardali
Credits:
Director: Lefteris Papakostas
Original Music: Anthi Gourounti
Costume/Prop Design: Spyros Gekas
Stage Installation/Construction: Lefteris Papakostas, Marina Miliari
Assistant Director: Alexandra Georgiou
Lighting Design/Photography: Pavlos Mavridis
Hair Stylist/Makeup Artist (photoshoot): Viki Chatzi
Production Manager: Paschalia Siggikou
Social Media Management: Evi Angelinou
Promotion Manager: Antonis Kokolakis
Production:
Piraeus Arts Company “Entropia” / etp.entropia@gmail.com
Ticket Prices:
14 € General Admission
10 € Discounted (Students, Unemployed, Disabled, Seniors 65+)
Ticket pre-sale daily from Monday, 4th March, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM & 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, at the Kavala Municipality Visitors’ Information Centre (former EOT) in the Central Square, tel: 2510-620566.
Online Pre-sale: https://www.more.com/theater/to-spiti-me-ta-dora-3/
Friday, 8th March, Saturday, 9th March, Sunday, 10th March
Antigoni Valakou Theatre
Show duration: 80’
For more information and reservations, call the Municipal and Regional Theatre of Kavala at 2510 220876 – 7 (9:00 AM – 2:00 PM).
