The Ministry’s principal goal is, through the aid of Athens System, to promote Greek theatre both in national and international level, thus reinforcing the dialog between the Greek theatre and the international theatre stage. As an institution, Athens System aspires to the invitation of Greek theatre companies from important festivals and theatre organizations all over the world, creating in this way a two-way process which hopefully contributes to the exchange of theatrical experience and practice of the artists on an international level.

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture always supports initiatives of this kind and acknowledges once again the importance of the State’s support of the artistic creation.

Athens System, a system of excellence, exhibition and promotion of modern Greek theatrical creation towards the international scene, is reaching its maturity this year after its pilot phase last year.

This second effort coincides with the establishment of the Hellenic National Centre of Theatre and Dance through which the Greek state, and more specifically the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, intends to shape a more precise and complete national strategy for theatre and dance. Supporting this extroversion is a prevalent quality of this strategy.

Therefore, the effort of the Hellenic Centre of the International Theatre Institute is absolutely integrated within the goals of the Hellenic National Centre of Theatre and Dance and the adventure will now be common!

Athens System, a system of distinction, display and promotion of modern Greek theatrical creation to the international scene is an example of a simple and at the same time functional relationship between those two sectors which ought to have been one: the living social body and a capable
and sensitive state.

Even in its present pilot form but most importantly in its fully-fledged production which will take place in spring 2008, Athens System is an institution, which in a minimum of time will manage with the cultural know how of the International Theatre Institute as well as the political and financial support of the Ministry of Culture, if not to change creatively, at any rate to set off in a clearer way the beautiful hidden face of Greek theatrical creation and to reflect or exchange it with its fellow-craftsmen everywhere in the world.

This is what I was writing last year.

This year, with all these inconceivable difficulties, which, in my country, defeat self-evident efforts and are shared only by the closest colleagues, what I can spontaneously do, is to be silent…

But anyway, try to enjoy the most primitive theatre platform of the world before it soon becomes one of the most perfect ones.

The wider world does not know nearly enough about the riches to be found in Greek theatre today. Its actors, directors, writers and designers deserve to be better known, and the System strikes me as a very good way to help this happen. It is time for the world to catch up with many contemporary Greek artists. Of course these names will never trip as easily off the tongue as those of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, but they and others merit international attention.

I look forward very much to making new discoveries in Athens this year, and to enjoying once again the fabled – and fabulous – hospitality of the Greek theatre community, as demonstrated by the Greek Centre of the International Theatre Institute and its hard-working staff.

Taking into consideration the quality of this year’s productions, that is questions related to aesthetics, directing, acting and other performative codes, as well as their representative variety, with some special emphasis on the work and research of younger artists, the appointed Critics’ Committee chose a total of 13 performances to be presented in this year’s showcase.

Special Critic Committee of Athens System

President
Savas Patsalidis,
Professor of American and European theatre history and theory, Aristotle University

Vice-President
Dimitris Tsatsoulis,
Theatre critic, assistant professor at the Department of Theatre Studies in Patras University

General Secretary
Dimitris Kamarotos,
Musicologist, composer

Members
Grigoris Ioannidis,
lecturer at the Department of Theatre Studies, at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, theatre critic

Dionisis Kavathas,
Assistant Professor of Media Philosophy and Aesthetics at Panteion University of Athens

Matina Kaltaki,
Τheatrologist, theatre critic/journalist

Katerina Koskina,
Art-historian-museologist, Artistic Director of the J. F. Costopoulos Foundation

Stratis Paschalis,
Writer, translator

Eleni Petassi,
Theatre critic

Nteni Tsekoura-Euthimiou,
Dance instructor – Choreographer

Students from the Departments of Theatre Studies from the Greek Universities
Dimitris Bampilis, Elina Kardiakou, Konstantina Vrettou