The 2nd International Street Theatre Festival of Athens is a fact!
The 2nd International Street Theatre Festival is a fact. One would expect that the 2nd Festival would be easier to be planned. One would expect that our experience from the first, and its undeniable success, would be a fruitful ground. Nevertheless, it seems as if we are starting now, as if we are walking in darkness and we don’t know which our next step is going to be. We suddenly found ourselves – and this concerns all of us in Greece of course – in a suffocating financial, cultural, political environment, that crushes planning, efforts, visions. Indeed, under the circumstances we are experiencing, it sounds madness to attempt this second try, with our only assistant the Municipality of Athens and the Cultural Organization of the City of Athens.
The 2nd International Street Theatre Festival is a reality despite the odds, despite the misery of our life, despite the smallness and the atrabiliousness of our time. Our logo: “Soul on the street”. A phrase from the play “Bacchae” by Euripides. Soul on the street, because we need it. Soul on the street, because this is what the artist wants: to be exposed in public space. Soul on the street, because that is the theatre of streets and action. The aim is to change our life for a while, offering joy and context to it. Two hands tidily bonded, a flame and a wide smile, our image and what the miracle maker, the jester, the acrobat, the rope walker, the actor of illusion and wandering can offer.
I.S.T. includes theatre performances and other forms of art, dance theatre performances, happenings, puppet shows and music. Performances will take place around the historical center and around the Acropolis, Kapnikareas Square, Monastiraki and Thission.