ATHENS – The Birds, the new interactive educational app for kids, which brings Aristophanes’ The Birds to your mobile or tablet, topped the Greek charts in Apple’s App Store, just within two days of its official announcement.

Birigogo.gr introduces youngsters to The Birds by Aristophanes in a new, original, interactive educational format with concept, direction, and narration by Diamantis Karanastasis, music composition and sound design by Stavros Gasparatos, and art illustration by Philippos Photiadis. The interactive educational applications are supported by the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Karolos Koun Greek Art Theatre.

Two Athenian friends, Pisthetaerus and Euelpides, dream of living in a place where peace, joy and tranquility will prevail. They will meet the bird Hoopoe, who was once the King Tereus of Thrace, until the gods of Olympus transformed him. Pisthetaerus will devise a plan to found a new city, the city of birds in the ether, in the space between the world of men and the world of the gods!

Will they manage to build their own Etherland? Will they find the help they need or will they meet resistance? Will the other birds show the same enthusiasm? Will the gods have a say in this? Is it easy to dream up something entirely new? How easy is it, after all, to build your own Utopia?

Aristophanes’ Birds is the first educational app by Birigogo.gr in the series of ancient Greek myths and dramas created by the platform under the auspices of the Greek Art Theatre and the support of the Greek Ministry of Culture.

The aim of Birigogo is:

-To introduce children to the Ancient Greek poets.

-The familiarization of children with Mythology and Greek History, through audiovisual material and simple interactions.

-Introduction of children, through technology, to the stakes, ethics, myths, language and values that the ancient poets negotiate, record and manage creatively in their work.

-The interactive, enjoyable and creative approach to the myths and texts that have shaped world drama and form the basis of our cultural heritage.

More information is available online: www.birigogo.gr.

The conception and creation of the applications belong to Diamantis Karanastasis (www.diamantiskaranastasis.com and www.dacos.gr) who directs, writes, and produces the new interactive applications and also voices the Greek narration of the texts. It is an idea whose implementation is the result of a multi-year effort.

Diamantis Karanastasis is an actor and director. A graduate of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering at the Polytechnic, he has been working in theatre, television and cinema since 1998. He has produced many theatrical productions. His voice has graced over 7500 TV and radio commercials, as well as many documentaries, TV shows and selected children’s animation studio movies (Madagascar franchise, Ice Age franchise, Star Wars Clone Wars, etc.). With his own post-production studio DACOS, he has undertaken hundreds of audio-visual productions. He also directed the award-winning feature film AIMA (production, script, direction – editing – post production).