ATHENS – The Interbalkan Festival of Ancient Drama is a new international institution founded by the Region of Attica, Greece, that will be inaugurated in summer 2022. The new Festival was initiated by the Regional Governor of Attica George Patoulis and the Executive Regional Consultant for Culture Mary Vidali and will take place annually. Its aim is the constant presence in our country and the collaboration with artists, institutions and theatre and performance groups from around the Balkans who work at a high artistic level and have Ancient Drama and the artistic research around it as their focus.

The main aspiration of the new Festival is the emergence of the great theatrical tradition and contemporality of Ancient Drama in the Balkan countries. This is why our priority is the excavation of the whole spectrum of creation we can encounter in the theatrical palimpsest of the Balkan Peninsula – ranging from the traditional and institutional theatrical forces to the new artistic endeavors seeking new dramaturgical and aesthetic forms.

Inside the long-suffering landscape of the Balkans, where people have gone and still go through contemporary tragedies, Ancient Drama with its humanitarian, global and healing aspects, has the power to bring to light our kin traditions and, through a powerful artistic encounter, turn the tide towards the deep and honest friendship among peoples.

The Interbalkan Festival of Ancient Drama’s artistic program of shows and events is expected to begin in summer 2023. This international program will be formed annually, following an open call for proposals from Greece and the other Balkan countries.

This year the Festival will introduce itself to the public by organizing a Preliminary International Conference under the title: Ancient Drama as a Continuous Source of Inspiration and Creation.

The conference will take place at the Theatre of Attiko Alsos “Katina Paxinou” July 25-26, with the participation of important representatives of theatre in the Balkans, who will arrive in Athens, Greece in order to greet the new Institution and discuss the theatrical reality of their country and its relationship to Ancient Drama through both the lens of tradition and the one of contemporality.

The talks/discussions will take place on July 25, while a performance of The Suppliants, translated and directed by Dimos Avdeliodis, will be presented on July 26.

The entrance to all the events of the Interbalkan Festival of Ancient Drama organized by the Region of Attica is free.

OPEN CALL: Submission of proposals for 2023

Proposals concerning the artistic programming of the Interbalkan Festival of Ancient Drama that will take place at the Theatre of Attiko Alsos “Katina Paxinou” in summer 2023 from Greece and the other Balkan countries can be submitted online at [email protected] until December 30, 2022. The selected artists and groups will be notified by March 6, 2023.

Region of Attica

Interbalkan Festival of Ancient Drama

Artistic Director Aris Asproulis

Consultative Committee

Mary Vidali (President)

Constantinos Bouras

Agis Marinis

Elena Mavridou

Irene Moundraki

Pericles Nearchou

Sissy Papathanasiou

Io Voulgaraki

Terms and Conditions of Participation

• All artists, theatre and performance groups, institutions and collectives coming from the Balkans, or making work primarily in the Balkans, or having members who come from the Balkans, or making work primarily in the Balkans who wish to present a show that deals to Ancient Drama, have the right to participate.
• Every artist or group can submit only one proposal to the Festival.
• The Festival places particular emphasis on artistic research on Ancient Drama, new directing and dramaturgical forms, the intercultural element and the collaboration of Balkan artists with artists outside the Balkans.
• The duration of each show must not exceed 90 minutes.
• The submitted applications must be written in Greek or English.
• Every proposal has to include photos, excerpts from reviews and audiovisual material from previous events/shows of the artist or the group submitting the proposal.
• When it comes to our selected international shows coming from abroad, the Festival covers accommodation, food and transport inside Athens for up to 4-6 people per selected production and for up to 2-4 days in total per selected production.
• Proposals from Greece have to be accompanied by the cost of the show’s presentation, which is covered by the Festival provided that the proposal is selected.
• The Festival covers sound and light for every show that is selected.
• The Festival will have surtitles projected for every show that is selected.
• The creation of the surtitles (in Greek or English language for the groups coming from abroad and in English language for the Greek groups) is a responsibility of the producers of the show.
• The files and audiovisual material of each proposal sent via e-mail are ideally preferred to be placed in active links that will lead to them or in attached files that do not exceed of 3MB totally in total.
• No proposal can be accepted after the deadline that has been announced
• The Festival will notify every candidate artist or group whether their proposal has been accepted or not.
• The Festival maintains the right to not notify the artist or group about the reason why their proposal has or has not been selected.
• The Festival maintains the right to record part of the show or the whole show for actions related to publicity and for its archive.
• The Festival maintains the right to photograph the whole show, as well as backstage and rehearsal moments for actions related to publicity and for its archive.
• The Festival maintains the right to livestream through social media part of the show or part of the rehearsals for publicity purposes.
• The insurance of each show’s employee is a responsibility of the production of the show.
• The Festival maintains the right to give access to members of the Press during the rehearsals of each show for publicity purposes.
• The Festival maintains the right to program – provided that the production of each selected show agrees – each show for more than one time or day.
• The Festival maintains the right to cancel or change the dates and the venue where a show will take place.
• All shows and events of the Festival have a free entrance.
• Participation in the Festival implies the acceptance of all the above terms and conditions.