ASTORIA – The play ‘The Homelands of the Innocent’ (‘Athoon Patrides’) by Anastasia Thanasoula, directed by Theodoros Petropoulos, opened on February 24 at the Greek Cultural Center in Astoria and runs through March 12. This moving theatrical experience impressed the opening night audience with the dynamic performance of the actors, especially Theodoros Petropoulos as the protagonist Dinos recounting his character’s heart-rending story with emotional authenticity.

Born at the end of the 19th century, Dinos is drawn into the great and important events of world history- the First World War, the Asia Minor Catastrophe, and the dream of America, eventually crushed by the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Like many immigrants, Dinos continues to pursue the American Dream, working hard in spite of discrimination and several set backs.

Thanasoula and Diodoros Pagoudis take on multiple roles in the play, joining Petropoulos in highlighting the key moments of the drama that was based on Thanasoula’s own family history. The, at times, poetic musings of the protagonist offer insights into the perhaps less well-known aspects of the immigrant experience and the tremendous amount of hard work and sacrifice that went into achieving financial success. The thoughtful play reminds us that the road to the American Dream was not always a smooth one for each and every Greek immigrant in the early part of the 20th century.

The sparsely decorated set and the simplicity of the staging allows the actors’ performances and the text of the play to shine.
The Homelands of the Innocent is a compelling drama and a must see for anyone interested in the Greek-American immigrant experience.

Following the opening night performance, audience members applauded enthusiastically and waited by the stage door to congratulate the actors, the playwright, and the director and gift them bouquets of flowers.

The performance is in Greek with English supertitles.Tickets are available online: on Eventbrite.

The performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, and Sundays, 5 PM, beginning on Friday, February 24 and running through Sunday, March 12.

More information is available online: https://www.greekculturalcenter.org/