The Performance

An ancient cry out to stop violence against women on this planet

Theater for social change, justice, democracy and equality... restarting in Athens... BE INFORMED

OUR STORY

LYSISTRATA 2024 - NO MORE BLOOD-

THE PERFORMANCE

An empowering interactive free adaptation of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata for one performer conceived by stage director Angeliki Kasola and performed by Greek actress Irini Mela. A theatrical calling out for WORLD PEACE and the cessation of violence and discrimination of all forms. A performance discussing women’s rights, femicide, democracy, utopia, justice, ecology and the protection of life on our planet, asking women to reclaim their role as creators and protectors of life RIGHT NOW, by UNITING, mobilizing and demanding CHANGE for a sustainable future for all…

Lysistrata, an eternal woman both gifted and cursed to experience and witness everything that has been happening to humanity and the planet across time and space since her first attempt at creating peace between Athens and Sparta, 2,500 years ago, returns on stage in her “ancient” attire as a woman who has seen it all and lived through it all and who is no longer able to accept the ongoing suffering and destruction upon the earth. She breaks her silence in order to this time ignite WORLD PEACE with each performance becoming an impromptu international women’s congress caused and presided by her.

The audience, both women and men become active participants and guests in this congress with Lysistrata assigning them delegations and roles as well as asking them to enact parts of the male and female choruses from the Aristophanic play.

While sharing her experiences from her first attempt to create peace 2,500 years ago by urging women to participate in a continuous SEX STRIKE until victory, she re-enacts scenes from the play as well as the majority of the female and male characters of Aristophane’s Lysistrata in an ongoing theatre within the theatre game and an acting tour de force that utilizes acting elements from the Greek Comedy and Tragedy forms as well as various popular theatre traditions from around the world, giving the performance both a Greek and universal character.

The performer speaks in Greek while also speaking key phrases and words in English as markers for the audience during the comic scenes that employ a vivid body language while during the intimate, tragic or serious monologues and moments of direct address the text is heard in both the Greek (live) and English (recorded) languages making this performance accessible to an international audience.

Lysistrata as a performance is based on the actors craft and while it has an elaborate set and staging it is designed so that it may be performed in all sorts of non-theatrical spaces naked from sets with minimal props.

The full duration of the performance is 90 minutes but it is also available as a 60-75 minutes performance.