The Theatre Express as it is known, is a bus that will travel from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, taking theatre directly to audiences and moving and transporting them with its magic!
If you are lucky enough to find the Theatre Express in your neighbourhood, you will be able to watch Anton Chekhov’s The Bear, directed by Sofia Marathaki.
 
The plot
The Bear playfully and sensitively tackles the subjects of grief, debt and love.
The writer delineates the characters of this one-act play with great tenderness, so that anyone can identify with them.

In our production of The Bear, we aim to highlight the comic and ironic aspects of the play and to maximise the potential of the stage and set being the bus itself!
A widow mourns her deceased husband; a retired officer and landowner comes to ask for money owed to him by the dead man, which he in turn needs to prevent his estate from being sold at auction; and a servant full of longing for life is anxious for her mistress to stop mourning. Meanwhile, a horse eats barley in a stable.
The “Bear” could be any one of us who is desperately trying to get through each day, fulfil our obligations, pay our taxes, do our duty and pay our debts. It could be any one of us who, despite being worn down by the daily grind, at some point, amidst the chaos, stress and noise, are able to get in touch with ourselves and what we really want, and to escape. And during this small escape, whether it takes place intentionally or unintentionally, we can enjoy ourselves, dream, fall in love and draw joy and strength to take with us into battle against brutal reality.
 
The production|
Translation: Lykourgos Kallergis
Direction: Sofia Marathaki
Set/costumes: Eleni Manolopoulou
Dramaturg: Irene Moundraki
Assistant director: Margarita Anthidou
Movement: Vrisida Solomou
Score design: Vassilis Tzavaras
Producer: Zoe Mouschi

Stage manager: Xristos Tzioukalias

The cast:
Ieronymos Kaletsanos: Grigory Stepanovitch Smirnov
Elissavet Konstantinidou: Sonja
Fotini Papachristopoulou: Elena Ivanovna Popova