Municipal Theatre of Piraeus | Nov 2025 - Jan 2026
Text: Dimitris Dimitriadis
Direction - Movement - Set Design: Aliki Stenou
Music: Chara Greka (cello), Nikos Touliatos (percussion)
Costumes: Mary Limniou
Lighting Design: Thomas Oikonomakos
Assistant to the director: Athina Maria Pavli, Marie Walker
Photographs: Jagoda Czekała
Trailer and photos of promotion: Ioannis Konstantinidis
Communication: Chrysa Matsagkani
Production: Non Linear Non Profit Civil Law Company
Performers (in alphabetical order):
Antonia Mathioulaki, Dimitrios Papavasiliu (*at the National Theatre of Geneva), Athina Maria Pavli, Aliki Stenou
Musicians on stage: Chara Greka (cello) | Nikos Touliatos (percussion)
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
Memory and Oblivion is a theatre project based on the texts Mneme (Memory) and Lethe (Oblivion) by Dimitris Dimitriadis. Through torrential language, the intensephysicality of the performers and the powerful presence of live music (cello and percussion), the project explores the relationship between Humanity and Time, our connection to History, and the elements we choose either to remember or to forget.
Using the body as the primary vehicle, it investigates the boundaries between verbal and non-verbal expression, between the conscious and the unconscious. In the spacewhere speech, movement, and music intersect, a liminal terrain is created—where everything holds the potential to begin anew or to end.
On one side, we hear Memory rising as a force that enables humans to relive their lives, allowing moments to be repeated endlessly within the mind. On the other, Oblivion—ever present in the shadow of memory—unfolds as a redemptive void of thought, a pure dominion of the body, bearing its own silent remembrance. Two forces that clash and yet converge, speaking together of Humanity’s relationship with love, faith, war, life and death, across the passage of time.
"My body. Is all history. Wars. Eras. Upheavals. I don't need to remember. Because I have a body, I forget."
REVIEWS
“The two structural, nuclear, existential, cosmogonic components are separated by a vertical line and become text through Dimitris Dimitriadis. And somewhere there, in between, enters the dynamic, beautiful artistic gaze of Aliki Stenou, and Memory/Oblivion is transferred, offered as an antidoron—a form of spiritual nourishment. […]
Aliki Stenou employs Logos in every one of its expressions and forms in order to render, on stage, the meaning and essence of the poetic, philosophical text. […]
Memory–Oblivion–Human is passed on to the performers Antonia Mathioulaki, Athina Maria Pavli, and to the director herself (as the third performer). Along with the fourth presence—that of the musicians—this revelatory discourse of inner strength is presented. […]
Throughout the 60 minutes of the performance, the universal experience carried and transmitted by the text is conveyed intact, essentially, and with restraint.”
(Alexandros Stergiopoulos, gazzetta.gr)
“In the foyer of the Piraeus Municipal Theatre, every action is born from the text. Dimitriadis’s language has been fully understood, absorbed, and embodied in its absolute form. Every leap of association is justified. Every movement originates from it. A restrained space, the lucid articulation of a simple, archetypal proposition. A pure ritual of catharsis.
None of the materials of the performance are unfamiliar—yet none of their uses are known or predictable in advance. Clarity of movement and gesture, and sharp articulation, shape a widely traveled endeavor that seems to grow more mature with each new stop. Nothing superfluous. A clear journey from the pages of memory to the nakedness of oblivion. […]
A lyrical, poetic work about barbarity and the Human.”
(Konstantinos Avramis, palcoscenico.gr)
“Memory | Oblivion is one of those performances that function as a full experience. From the very first minutes, you are enveloped by a silent, subterranean atmosphere, as if you were entering a space where time has stopped or expanded. It is a performance that allows you to feel it rather than simply watch it.
The three performances are rich and fulfilling—full of intensity without shouting, full of depth without affectation. All three actresses carry the text in their bodies, with a presence that draws the eye effortlessly. Their bodies truly become ‘history,’ as the text itself suggests.
Aliki Stenou constructs a production that is minimal yet rich. Nothing is overloaded; she allows Dimitriadis’s language to breathe and connects it to a physicality that renews it. You feel that you are witnessing something profoundly personal—something that does not seek to impress, but to touch.”
(openmindtheater)
Municipal Theatre of Piraeus | Nov 2025 - Jan 2026
REVIEWS
“The two structural, nuclear, existential, cosmogonic components are separated by a vertical line and become text through Dimitris Dimitriadis. And somewhere there, in between, enters the dynamic, beautiful artistic gaze of Aliki Stenou, and Memory/Oblivion is transferred, offered as an antidoron—a form of spiritual nourishment. […]
Aliki Stenou employs Logos in every one of its expressions and forms in order to render, on stage, the meaning and essence of the poetic, philosophical text. […]
Memory–Oblivion–Human is passed on to the performers Antonia Mathioulaki, Athina Maria Pavli, and to the director herself (as the third performer). Along with the fourth presence—that of the musicians—this revelatory discourse of inner strength is presented. […]
Throughout the 60 minutes of the performance, the universal experience carried and transmitted by the text is conveyed intact, essentially, and with restraint.”
(Alexandros Stergiopoulos, gazzetta.gr)
“In the foyer of the Piraeus Municipal Theatre, every action is born from the text. Dimitriadis’s language has been fully understood, absorbed, and embodied in its absolute form. Every leap of association is justified. Every movement originates from it. A restrained space, the lucid articulation of a simple, archetypal proposition. A pure ritual of catharsis.
None of the materials of the performance are unfamiliar—yet none of their uses are known or predictable in advance. Clarity of movement and gesture, and sharp articulation, shape a widely traveled endeavor that seems to grow more mature with each new stop. Nothing superfluous. A clear journey from the pages of memory to the nakedness of oblivion. […]
A lyrical, poetic work about barbarity and the Human.”
(Konstantinos Avramis, palcoscenico.gr)
“Memory | Oblivion is one of those performances that function as a full experience. From the very first minutes, you are enveloped by a silent, subterranean atmosphere, as if you were entering a space where time has stopped or expanded. It is a performance that allows you to feel it rather than simply watch it.
The three performances are rich and fulfilling—full of intensity without shouting, full of depth without affectation. All three actresses carry the text in their bodies, with a presence that draws the eye effortlessly. Their bodies truly become ‘history,’ as the text itself suggests.
Aliki Stenou constructs a production that is minimal yet rich. Nothing is overloaded; she allows Dimitriadis’s language to breathe and connects it to a physicality that renews it. You feel that you are witnessing something profoundly personal—something that does not seek to impress, but to touch.”
(openmindtheater)
Creative Team & Concept Development:
Sabina Andrea Allen, Stavros Dimopoulos, Pascual Rengifo, Aliki Stenou
Choreography: Sabina Andrea Allen
Sound Composition: Elias Shapiro
Camera: Andrea Stefanelli
Performed by:
Stavros Dimopoulos & Aliki Stenou
Special thanks to CUBE Non-profit Organisation
Supported by Creative Europe
In this directing residency I was selected by Piccolo Teatro di Milano (Italy) to collaborate on the production Semidei, representing the National Theatre of Greece
Semidei
written and directed by Pier Lorenzo Pisano
sets Giuseppe Stellato
costumes Gianluca Sbicca
assistant director Flavio Capuzzo Dolcetta
assistant costume designer Marta Solari
with the consultancy of Aliki Stenou, National Theatre of Greece
with Francesco Alberici, Marco Cacciola, Pierluigi Corallo, Michelangelo Dalisi, Claudia Gambino, Pia Lanciotti, Caterina Sanvi, Eduardo Scarpetta
a Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa production
Divided in two sections, Semidei draws inspiration from the body of minor legends that accompany the Iliad and the Odyssey. In the first part, before the Trojan War, extremely young and terrified heroes are tied up in their most important relationships: Achilles quarrels with his mother Thetis, Ulysses has his hands full with a young Telemachus who is constantly crying and who never eats, Hector and Andromache trying to get their newborn baby to sleep, and many others. Above them all, the gods of Olympus, who are more quarrelsome and nonsensical than the humans. Ten years later, the Greeks have won, but they have forgotten the reason for their fight; they are dazed and battered survivors, like the soldiers of present-day conflicts.
Semidei draws on a universal tale to examine contemporary life and to try an understand how to survive that which comes to an end: the end of infancy; the end of a war; the death of children.
Residency @ Can Bonamic Creation Centre, Barcelona, Spain
With the support of Creative Europe and the Goethe Institut (Individual Mobiity Grant)
A solo performance created by Aliki Stenou, through a research project based on the texts “Memory” and “Oblivion” by Dimitris Dimitriadis
From the thunderous roar of expression to the tranquil silence of contemplation, the human body and voice navigate the complexities of time, existence, faith, history, life and death.
“I do not need to remember. Because I have a body, I forget. Memory is my body, I am Oblivion.” (Oblivion by Dimitris Dimitriadis)
During this residency at Centro Teatrale Mamimo at Reggio Emilia (Italy), were I was selected as an actor and theatre maker, together with four fellow multidisciplinary artists from across Europe—actors, directors and writers - and the mentorship of Centro Teatrale MaMiMo artists Marco Maccieri, Fabio Banfo and Gabriele Gerets Albanese, we co-created a theatre performance under the title “What do we leave behind?”
Developing seven distinct ‘episodes’, we aimed to explore the remnants of human nature and history, in a futuristic setting, where, as scientists, were examining objects left behind after humanity’s disappearance, trying to piece together the essence of human existence.
VITA NOVA | Mpagkeion Hotel, Athens – November/December 2023
Direction - Set Design: Aliki Stenou
Text: Aliki Stenou, Simon Gleave
Live Music (percussion): Nikos Touliatos
Movement: Korina Kokkali
Costumes: Mary Limniou
Lighting Design: Thomas Oikonomakos
Assistant Directors: Dimitra Ntanti, Victoria Karakasoglou
Assistant Set Designer: Nikolas Rouvalis
Photography: Stefanos Tavakis
Communication: Chrysa Matsagani
Organization / Execution of Production: Aliki Stenou, Dimitra Ntanti
Performed by (in alphabetical order): Korina Kokkali, Dimitra Ntanti, Aliki Stenou, Nikos Touliatos
Description of project:
'Vita Nova' is a theatre performance narrating the day after a loss, the mixed emotions, and the thoughts that arise during a visit to the family home of the past. Memory, traces of a bygone era, and the need for a new beginning intertwine in a poetic stage composition where speech, movement, and music capture the nuances of a transition.
Reviews:
"I never expected what would follow. The art of illusions, sensations, and Art with a capital 'A' unfolded abundantly in front of me. […] The direction of the performance is magical. Excellent pace, full utilization of space, intensity in the atmosphere, and an exceptional blending of the protagonists' best qualities. Ms. K. Kokkali, D. Ntanti, A. Stenou transform into beings beyond the strict material world we experience. Their voices incredibly crafted, their movement ethereal. There are moments when you truly wonder watching them if they actually exist or if we project a fantasy, captivated by the work. Mr. N. Touliatos equally amazing and expressive, without even hearing him speak for a moment." (Elpiniki Ninou – θεατρο.gr)
"We watched the excellent 'Vita Nova' at Mpageion Hotel […] a work of beautiful images but, more importantly, beautiful meanings […] Korina Kokkali, Dimitra Ntanti, and Aliki Stenou, astonishing and moving in their roles, transform into Evmenides and Maenads, but also to the three Fates: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. They speak within our protagonist's mind, weaving threads in a scene filled with dry leaves. They use the old sitting area as an arena of emotions and speech. […] Musician Nikos Touliatos breaks the silence with percussive sounds, who seem like from nightmares or pain, yet he remains silent. The three actors, with magnificent physicality and speech, with a wonderful use of space and lighting, manage to perfectly convey the essence of the play. The text shouts in favor of life, without forgetting the pain of loss and sorrow that we all carry, knowing that we are 'passing by'!" (Aris Gavrielatos – αθηΝΕΑ)
"Vita Nova / A performance-experience about loss and mourning […] Aliki Stenou directs in detail, creating through the actors' choreographed movements, the distinctive set with leaves, objects in space, and the sound of percussion played by Nikos Touliatos, a 'life-experience' performance. The atmosphere created, even by the
acoustic space, constantly challenges the viewer emotionally, who experiences the stages of the protagonist's grief to the fullest." (Dimitris Bamboulis – TVXS)
"The atmosphere of the performance is eerie and enchanting. The girls move like one under Korina Kokkali's wonderful choreography and, of course, the indisputably splendid direction of Aliki Stenou. The space seems as if it was created solely for this performance. And, of course, it harmonizes amazingly with Nikos Touliatos's music. You lose yourself and find yourself again (probably) in about an hour. Words are unnecessary to describe the emotions that arise." (Katerina Zygouraki – WeLoveTheater)
"The text by Simon Gleave and Aliki Stenou is the image of the seismic aftermath, which moves us, displaces us from our existential axis. The next moment of loss and the reminder of mortality become the foundations of the work. […] Aliki Stenou, who directs and is also responsible for the set design, knows that beauty must break the
shell of pain […] This beauty is what she has given us in the past and this is what she will give us again." (Alexandros Stergiopoulos – Gazzetta)
"Beauty intensifies the pain of loss. And 'Vita Nova' is very beautiful…" (Giorgos Voudiklaris)
VITA NOVA | Mpagkeion Hotel, Athens – November/December 2023
Direction - Set Design: Aliki Stenou
Text: Aliki Stenou, Simon Gleave
Live Music (percussion): Nikos Touliatos
Movement: Korina Kokkali
Costumes: Mary Limniou
Lighting Design: Thomas Oikonomakos
Assistant Directors: Dimitra Ntanti, Victoria Karakasoglou
Assistant Set Designer: Nikolas Rouvalis
Photography: Stefanos Tavakis
Communication: Chrysa Matsagani
Organization / Execution of Production: Aliki Stenou, Dimitra Ntanti
Performed by (in alphabetical order): Korina Kokkali, Dimitra Ntanti, Aliki Stenou, Nikos Touliatos
Description of project:
'Vita Nova' is a theatre performance narrating the day after a loss, the mixed emotions, and the thoughts that arise during a visit to the family home of the past. Memory, traces of a bygone era, and the need for a new beginning intertwine in a poetic stage composition where speech, movement, and music capture the nuances of a transition.
Reviews:
"I never expected what would follow. The art of illusions, sensations, and Art with a capital 'A' unfolded abundantly in front of me. […] The direction of the performance is magical. Excellent pace, full utilization of space, intensity in the atmosphere, and an exceptional blending of the protagonists' best qualities. Ms. K. Kokkali, D. Ntanti, A. Stenou transform into beings beyond the strict material world we experience. Their voices incredibly crafted, their movement ethereal. There are moments when you truly wonder watching them if they actually exist or if we project a fantasy, captivated by the work. Mr. N. Touliatos equally amazing and expressive, without even hearing him speak for a moment." (Elpiniki Ninou – θεατρο.gr)
"We watched the excellent 'Vita Nova' at Mpageion Hotel […] a work of beautiful images but, more importantly, beautiful meanings […] Korina Kokkali, Dimitra Ntanti, and Aliki Stenou, astonishing and moving in their roles, transform into Evmenides and Maenads, but also to the three Fates: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. They speak within our protagonist's mind, weaving threads in a scene filled with dry leaves. They use the old sitting area as an arena of emotions and speech. […] Musician Nikos Touliatos breaks the silence with percussive sounds, who seem like from nightmares or pain, yet he remains silent. The three actors, with magnificent physicality and speech, with a wonderful use of space and lighting, manage to perfectly convey the essence of the play. The text shouts in favor of life, without forgetting the pain of loss and sorrow that we all carry, knowing that we are 'passing by'!" (Aris Gavrielatos – αθηΝΕΑ)
"Vita Nova / A performance-experience about loss and mourning […] Aliki Stenou directs in detail, creating through the actors' choreographed movements, the distinctive set with leaves, objects in space, and the sound of percussion played by Nikos Touliatos, a 'life-experience' performance. The atmosphere created, even by the
acoustic space, constantly challenges the viewer emotionally, who experiences the stages of the protagonist's grief to the fullest." (Dimitris Bamboulis – TVXS)
"The atmosphere of the performance is eerie and enchanting. The girls move like one under Korina Kokkali's wonderful choreography and, of course, the indisputably splendid direction of Aliki Stenou. The space seems as if it was created solely for this performance. And, of course, it harmonizes amazingly with Nikos Touliatos's music. You lose yourself and find yourself again (probably) in about an hour. Words are unnecessary to describe the emotions that arise." (Katerina Zygouraki – WeLoveTheater)
"The text by Simon Gleave and Aliki Stenou is the image of the seismic aftermath, which moves us, displaces us from our existential axis. The next moment of loss and the reminder of mortality become the foundations of the work. […] Aliki Stenou, who directs and is also responsible for the set design, knows that beauty must break the
shell of pain […] This beauty is what she has given us in the past and this is what she will give us again." (Alexandros Stergiopoulos – Gazzetta)
"Beauty intensifies the pain of loss. And 'Vita Nova' is very beautiful…" (Giorgos Voudiklaris)
VITA NOVA | Mpagkeion Hotel, Athens – November / December 2023 Direction - Set Design: Aliki Stenou Text: Simon Gleave, Aliki Stenou Movem
VITA NOVA | Mpagkeion Hotel, Athens – November / December 2023
Direction - Set Design: Aliki Stenou
Text: Simon Gleave, Aliki Stenou
Movement: Korina Kokkali
Live Music (percussion): Nikos Touliatos
Costumes: Mary Limniou
Lighting Design: Thomas Oikonomakos
Assistant Directors: Dimitra Ntanti, Victoria Karakasoglou
Assistant Set Designer: Nikolas Rouvalis
Photography: Stefanos Tavakis
Communication: Chrysa Matsagani
Organization / Execution of Production: Aliki Stenou, Dimitra Ntanti
Performed by (in alphabetical order): Korina Kokkali, Dimitra Ntanti, Aliki Stenou, Nikos Touliatos
Description of project:
'Vita Nova' is a theatre performance narrating the day after a loss, the mixed emotions, and the thoughts that arise during a visit to the family home of the past. Memory, traces of a bygone era, and the need for a new beginning intertwine in a poetic stage composition where speech, movement, and music capture the nuances of a transition.
“Dying as a Country directed by Aliki Stenou was one of the big surprises of the year: At the end of the season, on the stage of Bios, a group of five actors and a musician on stage achieve a small theatrical miracle. It is a performance with a strong physical element, stepping on an incredibly powerful text to show it in all its glory, and with the music performed live from percussion and random
everyday objects.” (Iro Kounadi, in2life)
“It can only give us joy the fact that Aliki Stenou chose to dorect this project, leading the young theatre group Knot. Especially when it is obvious that they neither followed any trend, nor were they ignorant of danger when they decided to do it [… ] As long as the new theater groups make such choices, something good is betoken for the future of the Greek theater”. (George Voudiklaris, ελculture) “The angry and allegorical text of Dimitris Dimitriadis, written in 1978, which is now a classic theatrical manifesto in its graceful antitheatricality,
is a field of directorial confrontation. […] Unexpectedly the performance begins, in the midst of relaxation, and unexpectedly evolves within unpredictable dramaturgical terms […] A well orchεstrated ensemble, which either rushes as individuals to every corner of the stage living their individual drama, or gathers in the middle of the stage experiencing the collective passions, transform anger to Elegy, and despair to Ode.” (Κostas B. Zisis, FRAGILE)
“…it’s moving and very much comforting to see such talented young people paying so much attention to what they’re doing…” (Nora Ralli, Newspaper Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών)
“Performance – unbelievable experience! - “Dying as a country” at Bios. Excellent direction, strong performances. […] This unstoppable,
unbelievable universe was presented at Bios and within an hour the internal explosions were repeatedly taking place. The show captivates you, breaks you into a thousand pieces, frees you and shows you what only the dead can see: the world being born over and over again […] The result was explosive, an unstoppable force that swept everything on the stage of Bios. The direction of Aliki Stenou moves at the same speed as the text of Dimitriadis and gives us a dazzling result.“! (Alexandros Stergiopoulos, gazzetta.gr)
“Dying as a Country” at BIOS is not just theater, but a heavy accusation that sounds out loud. Aliki Stenou was not at all afraid of movement in her direction. The bodies of the five actors are motionless, full of tension, the good friend of passion. The director’s relationship with ancient tragedy is expressed in the way she approaches the work of Dimitriadis, a timeless tragedy after all.“
(Aris Gavrielatos, αθηΝΕΑ)
"The performance alternately shakes our calm, orderly perception of our world. Before the applause, there is a few minutes of silence, enough to completely readjust the mindset of the audience’s history, politics, society, humanity, orders, imperatives, relationships, will or even fate”. (Irini-Sofia Litina, ETHNOS)
“We are still recovering from the electric shock of “Dying as a Country” - You come out of the performance "devastated", but you want to see it again. […] They are all dressed in more or less the same clothes. They are the narrators. Because the real protagonist is each person. That's what they tell you. They describe harsh images to you, but you don't see them on stage. They don't provoke your sympathy with emotional blackmail. Aliki Stenou does an amazing job with her tools as an actress, her body and her voice” (Zoë Dimitriou, Provocateur)
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen similar work and I was really impressed. […]The brilliant direction of Mrs. Aliki Stenou made sure
that the breath and the sweat came to the fore, made sure that we were awoken by the hits on the ground and the seats.” (Kostas Koulis, noisy.gr)
”…A harmoniously bound ensemble, with movement synchronization and chemistry, with touching dedication and faith in the goal, with wonderfully worked expressive means in acting, kinesiology, singing or vocals, with passion and intensity, with immediacy in addressing the audience, with correct articulation required by the torrential speech […] An explosive performance by a worthy group, with a strong text and spectacular direction…“ (Pizza Stasinopoulou, Kulturosoupa)
… Θα ‘λεγε κανείς πως το αδιέξοδο της χώρας ήταν στις ψυχές των κατοίκων της ή πως η ψυχή όλων των κατοίκων της δεν ήταν παρά το δικό της αδιέξοδο...
Το έργο "Πεθαίνω σαν χώρα", γραμμένο το 1978 από τον Δημήτρη Δημητριάδη, μας κάνει μάρτυρες μιας χώρας που καταρρέει, σε έναν χρόνο όπου καμιά γυναίκα δεν φέρνει πια παιδί στον κόσμο. Μετά από χίλια χρόνια πολέμου και ενώ ο εχθρικός στρατός πρόκειται να περάσει από ώρα σε ώρα τα σύνορα, βλέπουμε το έθνος να διαλύεται, εξουθενωμένο από την ίδια του την ιστορία και ανίκανο πια να αντισταθεί. Τις στιγμές εκείνες επαληθεύονται οι πιο δυσοίωνες προβλέψεις και περνάμε σε έναν νέο ιστορικό κύκλο, όπου η ανελέητη φαντασία επανέρχεται θριαμβευτικά και δίνει χώρο σε κοσμοϊστορικές ανακατατάξεις. Το τέλος μιας εποχής έχει έρθει όπως ο προμελετημένος θάνατος μιας αθεράπευτης αρρώστιας.
Όταν όμως κάτι τελειώνει, κάτι νέο ξεκινά.
....................
Έγραψαν για την παράσταση:
"Το Πεθαίνω σαν Χώρα που σκηνοθετεί η Αλίκη Στενού με την ομάδα ΚΝΟΤ ήταν μια από τις μεγάλες εκπλήξεις της χρονιάς: Στο νήμα της σαιζόν, στη σκηνή του Bios, μια ομάδα πέντε ηθοποιών και ενός μουσικού επί σκηνής καταφέρνουν ένα μικρό θεατρικό θαύμα. Πρόκειται για μια παράσταση με έντονο το σωματικό στοιχείο, που πατά επάνω σε ένα απίστευτα δυνατό κείμενο για να το αναδείξει σε όλο του το μεγαλείο, και με την μουσική να ερμηνεύεται λάιβ από κρουστά και τυχαία καθημερινά αντικείμενα." (Ηρώ Κουνάδη, in2life)
"Μόνο χαρά μπορεί να μας δώσει το γεγονός πως η Αλίκη Στενού επέλεξε αυτό το έργο για την πρώτη της σκηνοθεσία, επικεφαλής της επίσης νεανικής ομάδας Knot. Κυρίως όταν διαπιστώνεται πως ούτε κάποιο συρμό ακολούθησαν, ούτε άγνοια κινδύνου είχαν όταν το αποφάσισαν [...] Όσο οι νέες θεατρικές ομάδες κάνουν τέτοιες επιλογές, κάτι καλό προμηνύεται για το μέλλον του ελληνικού θεάτρου". (Γιώργος Βουδικλάρης, ελculture)
"Το οργισμένο και αλληγορικό κείμενο του Δημήτρη Δημητριάδη, που γράφτηκε το 1978, και αποτελεί πλέον ένα κλασικό θεατρικό μανιφέστο μέσα στην εύσχημη αντιθεατρικότητα του, αποτελεί πεδίο σκηνοθετικής αναμέτρησης. [...] Αναπάντεχα ξεκινάει η παράσταση, εν μέσω χαλαρότητας και αναπάντεχα εξελίσσεται μέσα από απροσδόκητους δραματουργικούς όρους, αποφεύγοντας εμφανώς τις ευκολίες της καταχρηστικής ευκαιριακής εκμετάλλευσης της τρέχουσας επικαιρότητας. [...] Ένα ρυθμισμένο υποκριτικό σύνολο, που είτε εξακοντίζονται ως ατομικότητες σε κάθε γωνία της σκηνής ζώντας το ατομικό δράμα, είτε συγκεντρώνονται στο μέσο της σκηνής βιώνοντας τα συλλογικά πάθη, ανάγουν τον θυμό σε Ελεγεία, και την απόγνωση σε Ωδή." (Κώστας B. Ζήσης, FRAGILE)
«...είναι συγκινητικό και τουλάχιστον παρήγορο να βλέπεις τόσο ταλαντούχα νέα παιδιά να δίνουν τόση προσοχή σε αυτό που κάνουν…» (Νόρα Ράλλη, Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών)
Παράσταση -αδιανόητη εμπειρία!- «Πεθαίνω σαν χώρα» στο «Bios». Εξαιρετική σκηνοθεσία, δυνατές ερμηνείες. [...] Αυτό το ασταμάτητο, αδιανόητο, σύμπαν παρουσιάστηκε στο «Bios» και σε μία ώρα οι εσωτερικές εκρήξεις ήταν απανωτές. Η παράσταση σε καθηλώνει, σε κάνει χίλια κομμάτια, σε απελευθερώνει και σου δείχνει αυτό που μόνο οι νεκροί βλέπουν: τον κόσμο να γεννιέται ξανά και ξανά [...] Το αποτέλεσμα ήταν εκρηκτικό, μια ασταμάτητη δύναμη που σάρωνε τα πάντα στη σκηνή του «Bios». Η σκηνοθεσία της Αλίκης Στενού κινείται στην ίδια ταχύτητα με το κείμενο του Δημητριάδη και μας δίνει ένα εκθαμβωτικό αποτέλεσμα."! (Αλέξανδρος Στεργιόπουλος, gazzetta.gr)
"Το «Πεθαίνω σαν Χώρα» στο ΒIOS δεν είναι απλά θέατρο, αλλά ένα βαρύ κατηγορώ που ακούγεται δυνατά. Η Αλίκη Στενού δεν φοβήθηκε καθόλου την κίνηση στην πρώτη της σκηνοθεσία. Τα σώματα των πέντε ηθοποιών είναι αεικίνητα, γεμάτα ένταση, την καλή φίλη του πάθους. Η σχέση της σκηνοθέτιδας με την αρχαία τραγωδία θεωρώ ότι εκφράζεται στον τρόπο με τον οποίο προσεγγίζει το έργο του Δημητριάδη, μια άχρονη τραγωδία άλλωστε και αυτό." (Άρης Γαβριελάτος, αθηΝΕΑ)
"Το κείμενο του Δημήτρη Δημητριάδη μας παρουσιάζεται επί σκηνής από την θεατρική ομάδα ΚΝΟΤ σε σκηνοθεσία της Αλίκης Στενού και μας ταράζει εναλλασσόμενα την ήρεμη, τακτοποιημένη αντίληψη του κόσμου μας. Πριν τα χειροκροτήματα προηγείται ολιγόλεπτη σιωπή, τόση όση να αναπροσαρμόσει ολoκληρωτικά το mindset του κοινού περί ιστορίας, πολιτικής, κοινωνίας, ανθρωπισμού, εντολών, επιταγών, σχέσεων, βούλησης ή και μοίρας". (Ειρήνη-Σοφία Λίτινα, ΕΘΝΟΣ)
«Ακόμα να συνέλθουμε από το ηλεκτροσόκ του "Πεθαίνω σαν Χώρα - Βγαίνεις "κουρέλι" από την παράσταση, αλλά θες να την ξαναδείς. [...] Είναι ντυμένοι με τα ίδια περίπου ρούχα. Είναι οι αφηγητές. Γιατί ο πρωταγωνιστής ο πραγματικός είναι ο κάθε άνθρωπος. Αυτό σου λένε. Σου περιγράφουν σκληρές εικόνες αλλά δεν τις βλέπεις πάνω στην σκηνή. Δεν σου προκαλούν με συναισθηματικούς εκβιασμούς τη συμπάθεια. Η Αλίκη Στενού κάνει εκπληκτική δουλειά με τα εργαλεία της ως ηθοποιός, το σώμα και τη φωνή» (Ζωή Δημητρίου, Provocateur)
«Εξαιρετική άσκηση επί χάρτου και επί του πρακτέου. Η ατάκα μετά από την ατάκα, ο συγχρονισμός στην εκφορά, η χορογραφία κινήσεων και στομάτων. Είχα να δω πολύ καιρό παρόμοια δουλειά και πραγματικά εντυπωσιάστηκα. [...] Τρομερή πειθαρχία, άψογο κούμπωμα και ένα σύνολο ανθρώπων που υποδύονται χαρακτήρες χωρίς όνομα, που λένε γι' αυτά που φοβόμαστε να σκεφτούμε. Η πανέξυπνη σκηνοθεσία της κυρίας Αλίκης Στενού φρόντισε να περάσει σε πρώτο πλάνο η ανάσα και ο ιδρώτας του, φρόντισε να θορυβηθούμε από τα χτυπήματα στο έδαφος και τα έδρανα. Η ομάδα που λειτούργησε σαν ΟΜΑΔΑ, το υποσύνολο που ήταν πιο ΣΥΝΟΛΟ από κάθε άλλο.» (Κώστας Κούλης, noisy.gr)
«...Ένα αρμονικά δεμένο σύνολο, με συγχρονισμό και χημεία, με συγκινητική αφοσίωση και πίστη στο στόχο, με θαυμάσια δουλεμένα εκφραστικά μέσα σε υποκριτική, κινησιολογία, τραγούδι ή φωνητικά, με πάθος και ένταση, με αμεσότητα στην απεύθυνση στο κοινό, με σωστή άρθρωση που απαιτούσε ο χειμαρρώδης λόγος [...] Μια εκρηκτική παράσταση από μια άξια ομάδα, με δυνατό εγκεφαλικό κείμενο και θεαματική σκηνοθεσία...» (Πίτσα Στασινοπούλου, Κουλτουρόσουπα)
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DYING AS A COUNTRY by Dimitris Dimitriadis | Bios Exploring Urban Culture
"Dying as a Country directed by Aliki Stenou was one of the big surprises of the year: At the end of the season, on the stage of Bios, a group of five actors and a musician on stage achieve a small theatrical miracle. It is a performance with a strong physical element, stepping on an incredibly powerful text to show it in all its glory, and with the music performed live from percussion and random
everyday objects." (Iro Kounadi, in2life)
"It can only give us joy the fact that Aliki Stenou chose to dorect this project, leading the young theatre group Knot. Especially when it is obvious that they neither followed any trend, nor were they ignorant of danger when they decided to do it [... ] As long as the new theater groups make such choices, something good is betoken for the future of the Greek theater". (George Voudiklaris, ελculture) "The angry and allegorical text of Dimitris Dimitriadis, written in 1978, which is now a classic theatrical manifesto in its graceful antitheatricality,
is a field of directorial confrontation. [...] Unexpectedly the performance begins, in the midst of relaxation, and unexpectedly evolves within unpredictable dramaturgical terms [...] A well orchεstrated ensemble, which either rushes as individuals to every corner of the stage living their individual drama, or gathers in the middle of the stage experiencing the collective passions, transform anger to Elegy, and despair to Ode." (Κostas B. Zisis, FRAGILE)
"...it's moving and very much comforting to see such talented young people paying so much attention to what they're doing..." (Nora Ralli, Newspaper Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών)
“Performance – unbelievable experience! - "Dying as a country" at Bios. Excellent direction, strong performances. [...] This unstoppable,
unbelievable universe was presented at Bios and within an hour the internal explosions were repeatedly taking place. The show captivates you, breaks you into a thousand pieces, frees you and shows you what only the dead can see: the world being born over and over again [...] The result was explosive, an unstoppable force that swept everything on the stage of Bios. The direction of Aliki Stenou moves at the same speed as the text of Dimitriadis and gives us a dazzling result."! (Alexandros Stergiopoulos, gazzetta.gr)
"Dying as a Country" at BIOS is not just theater, but a heavy accusation that sounds out loud. Aliki Stenou was not at all afraid of movement in her direction. The bodies of the five actors are motionless, full of tension, the good friend of passion. The director's relationship with ancient tragedy is expressed in the way she approaches the work of Dimitriadis, a timeless tragedy after all."
(Aris Gavrielatos, αθηΝΕΑ)
"The performance alternately shakes our calm, orderly perception of our world. Before the applause, there is a few minutes of silence, enough to completely readjust the mindset of the audience’s history, politics, society, humanity, orders, imperatives, relationships, will or even fate". (Irini-Sofia Litina, ETHNOS)
“We are still recovering from the electric shock of “Dying as a Country” - You come out of the performance "devastated", but you want to see it again. […] They are all dressed in more or less the same clothes. They are the narrators. Because the real protagonist is each person. That's what they tell you. They describe harsh images to you, but you don't see them on stage. They don't provoke your sympathy with emotional blackmail. Aliki Stenou does an amazing job with her tools as an actress, her body and her voice” (Zoë Dimitriou, Provocateur)
"It's been a long time since I've seen similar work and I was really impressed. [...]The brilliant direction of Mrs. Aliki Stenou made sure
that the breath and the sweat came to the fore, made sure that we were awoken by the hits on the ground and the seats.” (Kostas Koulis, noisy.gr)
"...A harmoniously bound ensemble, with movement synchronization and chemistry, with touching dedication and faith in the goal, with wonderfully worked expressive means in acting, kinesiology, singing or vocals, with passion and intensity, with immediacy in addressing the audience, with correct articulation required by the torrential speech [...] An explosive performance by a worthy group, with a strong text and spectacular direction..." (Pizza Stasinopoulou, Kulturosoupa)
ALICE IN FLATLAND | Bloomsbury Festival London 2021
RADA Studios Theatre, London
Created and performed by: Aliki Stenou, Irina Kurbanova, Jack Parris, Jonny Aubrey-Bentley
Description of performance:
In an era of the so called ‘Great Spreading out’, where everything has fallen apart and keeps spreading, an ever growing distance has been established between people and things. Only water is left in the mid-ground, an ocean of tears, where Alice, a young girl, is floating alone on her mattress, searching for her sister.
Stimulated by the world of Maths and Physics, Alice in Flatland dwells in a place where imaginary numbers and quanta appear to explain what is unperceivable for our senses.
Margot Monroe’s Nibelungenlied (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, 2020)
Devised by RADA MA Lab in collaboration with David Glass
Dramaturgy: The Ensemble and David Glass
Working in part from an adaptation of the Nibelungenlied by Mike Alfreds
In devising this piece, the company wove together the myths of Hollywood and the ancient European myth of the Nibelungenlied.
Director: David Glass
Assistant Direction: Briony O’Callaghan, Shanez Pattni
Lighting Designer: Roberto Esquenazi Alkabes
Sound Designer: Florence Hand
Intimacy Support: Gabrielle Moleta
Producer: Ian Morgan
** official selection at the London Independent Film Festival **
** official selection at the Montreal Independent Film Festival **
Created and performed by the BUNKUM ensemble: Aliki Stenou, Irina Kurbanova, Jack Parris, Jonny Aubrey-Bentley
When a small hole appears in his ceiling, a man with nothing better to do than dangle, climbs through it into a new room…
Devised, rehearsed and filmed by the ensemble during lockdown, this surreal short film explores the loneliness that lies just beyond our walls and the power of imagination and play in disconnected times.
Text: Jack Parris
Music: Jack Parris and the Marine Island Band
Film: Dino Kazamia
DOP: Sam Crook
Production Design: Mimi Vlaovic, Emily Roycroft
Producers: Nick Jessup & Jack Parris
