The Laboratory of Stage Practice and Speech, of the Department of Theatre Studies at the University of Patras, on the occasion of the 170th anniversary of the birth of Spyridon Peresiadis in Mesorrougi, Achaia, and the 130th anniversary of the first presentation of his work “Golfo”, is organizing under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture (Y.P.P.O.) scientific and artistic events at the University of Patras and at the Municipal and Regional Theatre of Patras (DIPETHE – Barry Hall) starting October 16, culminating in a two-day event on October 24-25, 2024.

The events, supported by the I. & E. Topalis Foundation, the Region of Western Greece, the Municipality of Patras, among others, aim to approach and highlight this significant theatrical work by the Achaean creator, which with its power and truth continues to delight and move theater-loving audiences and generations of artists of all forms of expression — from playwrights and actors to filmmakers, musicians, etc.

Detailed Events:

Golfo through the eyes of contemporary young creators (supported by the I. & E. Topalis Foundation)

On October 16, 2024, at the Conference Center of the University of Patras, the opening of a multidisciplinary exhibition will take place. The exhibition will last until October 25, 2024, as part of the Welcome UP Festival. It will showcase visual installations, video art, and other image, sound, and speech creations by young visual artists and students of the Department of Theatre Studies.

From Peresiadis to Dimitriadis

On October 24, 2024, at 21:00, the first staged reading of the work by the Author and Emeritus Professor of the University of Patras, Dimitris Dimitriadis, titled “Panhellenion”, will take place. This work engages intertextually and dramaturgically with Peresiadis’s “Golfo.” Students of the Drama School “Delos” will perform under the teaching and directing responsibility of Simos Kakalas at the DIPETHE of Patras (Barry Hall). After the performance, there will be a discussion with Dimitris Dimitriadis, who will attend the entire tribute event.

Golfo, the immortal heroine of Spyridon Peresiadis – Research Issues

On October 25, 2024, from 09:00 to 17:00, a scientific symposium titled “Golfo, the immortal heroine of Spyridon Peresiadis – Research Issues” will be held at the Department of Theatre Studies, University of Patras. The symposium aims at a scholarly approach to both the text and the performance impact and diversity that Golfo has taken on throughout its long history (1893–2023). Topics covered will include the transformations of the dramatic text into other genres (cinema, poetry, prose, shadow theater, etc.), its intertextual presence, reception by the Greek diaspora, and its reception in the 21st century with many performances or other art forms.

The dialogue of Golfo with other forms in Greek art – Vasilaros (shadow theater), Dimitris Dimitriadis (theater), Theodoros Angelopoulos (cinema) – is endless and productive. Spyridon Peresiadis, with Golfo, touched the pulse and sensed the necessity of his time, while simultaneously creating a modern myth that for more than a century has continually transformed. Though identified with tradition, it is a product of a specific ideological and aesthetic category (ethography, pastoral comedy, dramatic idyll).

To foster a fruitful dialogue between theory and practice, the symposium will conclude with creators (directors, writers, actors, visual artists, etc.) participating in an open discussion in the form of a round table.

Golfo in Progress, October 25, 2024, at 21:00

“Golfo in Progress” is an educational/artistic experiment bringing together actors from the new generation of drama school students in Greece, inspired by Peresiadis’s work. Each school participates with one act from the play, interpreting it in their own way and allowing their own stage language to emerge. This unified performance shows the variety of approaches born in our time and the relationship created between past and present in theater art.

Participating are:

• Drama School “Archi” with professor Dimitris Imellos,
• Drama and Directing Schools of the National Theatre with professor Simos Kakalas,
• Drama School of Athens Conservatory with acting professor Maria Savvidou, dance/movement professor Alkisti Polychroni, and original music by Petros Hochlakakis,
• Drama School of DIPETHE Patras with professor Giannis Leontaris,
• Laboratory of Stage Practice and Speech of the Department of Theatre Studies, University of Patras, with professor Maria Fragki.

This is essentially a fruitful exchange of future actors, directors, and other performance artists continuing a great tradition of stage art, with eyes focused on the 21st century.

Parallel Activities:

1. “All the little birds in the meadow…”, outdoor movement event led by Katia Savrami and Grigoris Mikronis, with participation by first- and second-year Theatre Studies students from the laboratory course in dance and theater.
2. Screening of the documentary “Golfo at Epidaurus” by Ilias Giannakakis.
3. Masterclass at DIPETHE Patras.

The city of Patras, with its remarkable artistic movement in theater since the 19th century, seeks to become once again a pioneering and welcoming hub of a modern dialogue among artists, students, and young creators across the broader fields of art.

Coordinating team of the events (Laboratory of Stage Practice and Speech, Dept. of Theatre Studies, University of Patras):

• Katia Savrami, Associate Professor
• Antonis Volanakis, Assistant Professor
• Konstantina Ziropoulou, Assistant Professor
• Maria Fragki, Faculty Member (scientific lead)
• Giorgos Varelas, Faculty Member
• Andreas Thanasoulas, Drama Education Teacher

Participating organizations include: I. & E. Topalis Foundation, DIPETHE Patras, supported by the Region of Western Greece and the Municipality of Patras.

Scientific Symposium, Friday 25/10/2024, Department of Theatre Studies, Room K11

Golfo, the immortal heroine of Spyridon Peresiadis – Research Issues (In-person talks and online broadcast)

Part A (09:00 – 14:00)

• Opening address by the Rector of the University of Patras, Professor Christos Bouras
• Greetings from:
  • Giorgos Xydopoulos, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Charalampos Bonanos, Deputy Regional Governor of Western Greece
  • Vaggelis Politis-Stergiou, President of the Topalis Foundation
  • Giannis Kalatzopoulos, Artistic Director of DIPETHE Patras
  • Ioanna Papageorgiou, Associate Professor, Chair of Theatre Studies Dept.
  • Agis Marinis, Associate Professor, Director of the Laboratory of Stage Practice and Speech

Session 1 (Chair: I. Papageorgiou):

• Nikolaos Anastasopoulos: The heroine Golfo in early 20th century press: impressions, messages, and approaches
• Olga Papazafeiropoulou: Golfo in Australian theater and cinema: the contribution of Peresiadis’s work to the formation of early Greek diaspora theatrical identity
• Christos Merantzas: Golfo: a modern example of self-compulsory subjectivity
• Theodoros K. Siontis: Golfo and Tasos: depiction of pastoral idyll in folk creations and its transfer to demotic music

15-minute break

Session 2 (Chair: K. Ziropoulou):

• Manos Stefanidis: The relationship of folk painting, shadow theater, and pastoral comedy: heroic myth and pre-modern society
• Ioanna Papageorgiou: Adaptations of the dramatic idyll “Esme the Turk Girl” by Sp. Peresiadis in the novel by Aristeidis Kyriakou and in shadow theater
• Anthi G. Hotzakoglou: The “children” of Golfo in Karagiozis’s curtain
• Katerina Karra: The operetta “Golfo”

15-minute break

Session 3 (Chair: K. Karra):

• Panagiota Konstantinaku: Dramaturgical aspects of “Golfo” on the 21st-century stage
• Konstantina Ziropoulou: Embedding “Golfo”: Dimitris Dimitriadis’s “Panhellenion” as a Pirandellian game
• Achilleas Dellis: The adventure of “Golfo” in cinema

Discussion, break, and lunch (1 hour)

Screening of the documentary “Golfo at Epidaurus” by I. Giannakakis

Part B – Round Table (In-person and Online), 15:00 – 17:00

Moderator: M. Fragki
Participants include: Kostas Arzoglou, Dimitris Dimitriadis, Dimitris Imellos, Simos Kakalas, Nikos Karathanos, Grigoris Karantinakis, Christos Strepikos

Part C – DIPETHE (Barry Theater), Performance at 21:00

Golfo in Progress