Action 1 of the Hellenic Centre of the International Theatre Institute refers to Athens System, a system of communication between the Greek and the international theatre. This action mainly aims at presenting Greek theatre productions abroad through their presentation on international theatre stage. Furthermore, Athens System aims at the enhancement of the Greek theatre’s status in the Greek society through a potential concentration of performances of the current theatre season, which seem to be particularly interesting. Last but not least, a digital archive of contemporary Greek performances is registered every year through the network of Athens System.

Every year a special review committee, which consists of professionals from the arts and the letters, is appointed in order to make a selection among the performances produced in the current theatre season. The selected performances are then staged to be viewed by invited guests of international appeal, such as important international festival directors, theatre critics as well as directors of cultural organizations who can potentially suggest and invite productions abroad. 

Every year Athens System closes with a symposium-panel discussion on a specific topic regarding Greek theatre in the international theatre scene. Theatre guests from Greece and abroad participate in the symposium, speaking their viewpoints and exchanging experiences.

Athens System was realized for the first time in a pilot phase in May 2007 in collaboration and with the support of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and the Hellenic Culture Organization. Eight performances were attended not only by representatives from international festivals and European theatre organizations as well as international journal editors. As an outcome of Athens System 2007 four out of eight theatre companies were invited to international festivals.

In May 2008 the official opening of Athens System was realized by presenting thirteen performances in collaboration and with the support of the newly founded Hellenic National Centre of Theatre of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Dance and the Hellenic Ministry of Tourism.

This year the Hellenic National Centre of Theatre and Dance of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture is the coorganizer of this platform which now has a new dimension: it also includes dance performances along with the theatre performances.

Athens System is an initiative of the Hellenic Centre of the International Theatre Institute, which came to fulfil a necessity repeatedly voiced by the Greek artists as well as the international theatre community who requests for a concentrated presentation of contemporary Greek theatre production and its salient features.