Experimental Stage

Opportunity as crisis

The opportunity that is presented with the reopening of the Experimental Stage comes at a time of political, social, economic and artistic crisis. In what is, from every point of view, a difficult but also very special and creative situation, it is our task to put together a programme and to some extent lay the foundations for the future progress of the Experimental Stage: from intervening in the architecture, where we have removed the proscenium arch in order to foster a more intimate relationship between actors and audience, to inviting some of the most interesting artists of our generation to create new works for the space. Our objective is an outward-looking theatre in dialogue with the broader social, political and economic environment, on which it will pass judgement and by which it will be judged. Our desire is for the theatre to operate as a platform for dialogue about the historical, political and ethical issues that concern society, and to maximise its aesthetic, educational and social function. We would like to thank everybody working at the National Theatre, without whose cooperation and patience "Experimental Stage -1" would not have been able to open, and above all, the Artistic Director of the National Theatre, Stathis Livathinos, for the faith he has shown in us.

Anestis Azas, Prodromos Tsinikoris

Heads of the Experimental Stage

All the world’s a stage

The philosophy and objective of the "Experimental Stage -1" is to influence social consciousness, to reflect the here and now, and to enter into dialogue with the causes and effects that determine all our lives.

Its reopening after eight years aims to build on the experience and the legacy of the previous period, but also to redefine its future goals.

In its previous incarnation under Stathis Livathinos the Experimental Stage provided Greek with a supply of extremely talented directors and actors, helping to shape the theatrical landscape by forging a creative path of unprecedented intensity, size and pace.
Its past tradition is now being enriched and bearing fruit, as it attracts new people and taps into aesthetic currents from Greek and international theatre. Existing relationships between actors, audiences and material are thus being supplemented with new relationships.
Evidence, documents, testimonies and historically verified events intersect with fiction, re-establishing theatre as a quintessentially social art. It will tear down walls in order to speak face-to-face with today, becoming a field of interaction and operating a research tool, with real experiences becoming its integral material.

Anestis Azas and Prodromos Tsinikoris, the pair of young creators who are the new Artistic Heads of the National Theatre’s "Experimental Stage -1", have created an exciting programme of productions, actions, parallel events and readings.

Eva Saraga
Experimental Stage Head Theatrologist