Past Productions
Christ Recrucified (2003)
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Trojan Women (1997)
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Cafe Cavafy (1996)
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The Skaubryn Project (1994)
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The Nightwatchmen (1994)
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Commedia dell'arte by Lia Hadzopoulou-Karavia (1994)
A one act play, presented in English at the third International Women Playwrights' Conference. A theatrical crisis forces the examination of the role playing of an actor and the refusal of his assistant to assume any role at all.
Transito (1994)
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Him and...Him by Kostas Mourselas (1993)
An experimental performance based on adapting television scripts for the stage. Originally, "Him and...Him" was a highly successful series in Greece exploring the lives of two tramps on their journeys through life. Very reminiscent of Beckett's tramps, very tragi-comic. In Greek. Very successful and very popular with audiences.
The Wedding Ring by Dimitris Kehaidis (1993)
A savage examination of the lives of three ex-military men for whom life is still a hunt or be hunted situation, even at the age of seventy. Their lives are filled with rituals of domination and primitive, instinctual drives. In the traditions of Jarry, Artaud and Albee; a piece that makes no concessions to comfortable bourgeois values. A hard hitting realist drama working on a knife edge. Presented in Greek along with "Him and ...Him" as part of the Dimitria celebrations.
Play Readings/Lectures at National Conferences (1992)
Theatro Oneiron contributed to the cultural programs of two national conferences held in Adelaide during the course of 1992. The first of these was the National Union of Greek Australian Students conference held in January. The company was able to present a playreading of "Anyone For A Taxi, Athenian Style?" by local playwright Anne Tsoulis. The second conference was the National Australian Drama In Education conference ("Drama Ties") where Theatro Oneiron was able to present a lecture/demonstration on the topic of "Language in Translation, and Translation in Performance."
It Happened The Next Day by Dario Fo & Franka Rame (1992)
A powerful and disturbing inner monologue from a woman struggling for her life in a hospital. As a political activist she was tortured, brutally bashed and left to die. She survived, but wonders why and whether her rescue was merely a moratorium before the next assault. It is a horrifying report from the interior and the world of oppressive political systems. This was Theatro Oneiron's first attempt at introducing Greek audiences to dramatic literature from other countries, other perspectives. As a drama, "It Happened The Next Day" certainly drew its message home with many members of the audience given the political history of Greece.
The Comedy of the Fly by Vasilis Ziogas (1992)
A gem of the absurdist theatre. A man accused of murdering his wife devises a series of stories to baffle an already frustrated police inspector. The premise of his defence is that his wife was a fly, and from there Ziogas generates a series of remarkable absurdist moments while simultaneously examining the nature of belief systems and the need for archetypal authority figures. An astonishing triumph of the modern theatre.
Both of the productions above inaugurated the new Nexus Space in the Lion Arts Centre, and were presented during the Adelaide Festival Fringe program representing the first time that Greek language productions were given during the Fringe. Greek audiences were now included in the general crowds experiencing the Festival Fringe.
The Last Performance by Kostoula Mitropoulou (1992)
By far the most ambitious endeavour to be conducted by Theatro Oneiron and one which received critical acclaim and as predicted stimulated considerable debate because of the nature of its content and the style of the writing. Mitropoulou has a strong association with French literature, and as such this work resonates with the schools of symbolism. surrealism, existentialism and the "nouveau roman". As such it represented an enormous intellectual and creative challenge to both actors and audiences alike. Essentially a play that seems to work backwards, displaced in time and location, leaving the audience to do the work of fabricating the meaning from the chaos. An astonishingly modern piece of theatre, provocative and stimulating. Two seasons; one in Greek, the other in English.
The Courtyard of Miracles by Iakovos Kambanellis (1991)
Following the success of the Greek version and with encouragement from many sources, Theatro Oneiron set about producing a new English language translation of the play. An Australia Council grant assisted with the production which again met with critical acclaim.
The Four Table Legs by Iakovos Kambanellis (1991)
The company turned its attention to a totally different style of theatre, that of social satire. If "The Courtyard of Miracles" examined the condition of the displaced refugee in a neo-realist convention, then "The Four Table Legs" pointed a cruel, satirical finger at the problems of the affluent. Again Kambanellis's extra-ordinary mastery of theatre proved an enormous success with Greek audiences.
The Myth of the Goat/The Migrant by Giorgos Skourtis (1991)
Another of Greece's great contemporary writers who mixes traditional themes with contemporary political circumstances. "The Myth of the Goat" examined the master-servant relationship and the notion of free will. "The Migrant" is an examination of sad circumstances of the unsuccessful migrant worker who returns to his village. Both one act plays were presented in Greek and designed as simple "platform stage productions" and were performed in the open air during community celebrations. Performed July 1991.
New Voices (1991)
Theatro Oneiron instigated a programme to promote local Greek poets, musicians, vocalists, lyricists, and composers to present an evening of original works. An astonishing array of talent and work was presented in the bohemian cafe style of the boîte.
The Courtyard of Miracles by Iakovos Kambanellis (1990)
This significant masterpiece of the contemporary Greek theatre was chosen as the company's inaugural production because Kambanellis himself is possibly the greatest living writer in Greece today. The play also had significant resonances with the migrant experience in Australia.
The play was performed in Greek and was an outstanding success artistically and from the point of view of establishing the company in the Greek community. (See also English version)
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