REVIEWS:

 

By Savvas Patsalidis, Professor of theatre history and theory in the School of English, the Hellenic Open University and the Drama School of the State Theatre of Northern Greece, lecturer in the Graduate Programme of the Theatre Department (Aristotle University), author.

• Ailing bodies: a study on being different. Sometimes, I am not able to review a good performance after it has run its course for practical reasons, yet for those that have remained alive in my memory, I feel an obligation to write a few words, as the slightest token of recognition for what they have achieved.I am referring, of course, to the performance of “The man-fan or How to dress an elephant”, by the group “En dynamei”, which was produced by the actress Eleni Dimopoulou. The performance at the theatre “Melina Mercouri” in Kalamaria was directed by a talented young woman, Eleni Efthymiou. In it star 21 young people, some of them people with disabilities. The general intention of the group was to teach people to accept difference as something completely normal, which is exactly what Brecht wishes to achieve when he uses the defamiliarization/distancing effect: to make the audience perceive the familiar within the unfamiliar and the unfamiliar within the familiar.The direction. Efthymiou’s choices doubled the risk she took from the start. On the one hand, she relied on non-professional actors, a practice that may be quite widespread nowadays but can easily have a boomerang effect, resulting in an ill-perceived amateurism. On the other hand, she relied on people with special needs, which can also backfire, meaning that it doesn’t take long until the ailing body leads the viewer to such an emotional state, where any form of critique disappears, only to be replaced by the enduring tradition on the already charged, unconventional character of the play. In this case, the theatrical event runs the risk of becoming an “pretext” for the event itself so the following question immediately arises: to what extend can reality penetrate the play without contradicting it as a contrived event? Well, Efthymiou was willing to take that risk and, judging by the result, she managed to convince us that she knew what she wanted, let alone how to achieve it. It was obvious that she did not want us to perceive the drama through the different nature of these people. Therefore, she unfolded the incidents related to their lives without following a chronological order, so as to free them from the constraints and deceptions of a cause and effect relationship, and communicate them within a broader context, thus accentuating the deeply humanistic significance of the attempt. And she was successful, as she made sure that all her fellow-workers would go on stage without feeling inferior. No apologies, no whining, no pity. She asked them to stand in front of us, having come to terms with who they are and perform as if nothing was wrong. This is exactly what they did and were wonderful at it. Through an equal mix of brechtian theatre, mimetic theatre and documentary techniques, they got rid of the stratification that society (hypocritically) imposes on their wounds for being different and brought to light their innermost anxieties. They talked about who they are with such an authentic, unadorned mood that managed to lend a stunning ethereal lightness to the performance that proved quite refreshing, just like the “man-fan”, who lets all those who “sit next to him cool off in the summer”. This was a theatrical study that did not exhaust its topic on the surface of the particular ailment but plunged deeper into the core of the universal human condition, thus making the audience experience deep emotion, pleasure and intense introspection, all at the same time. Conclusion: I am still fascinated.  

      -See more http://savaspatsalidis.blogspot.gr/2014/04/blog-post_3691.html?spref=fb and http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.article&id=425598

 

By Marina Kontou  

• When you pretend you don’t see it. “…” A theatrical performance in Thessaloniki, for people, like the man-fan, who repel others with their aesthetic and acoustic noise and only attract some opportunists, victims of heatstroke, who crave their coolness; and for elephants that some people insist on dressing with weird costumes. A performance that hones the blunt words of etiquette and brings all those stories of the invisible other, the different, in the spotlight. “…”   

      -See more http://www.elculture.gr/elcblog/article/auto-pou-kaneis-oti-de-blepeis-798599#sthash.1fz0tEnU.dpuf

 

By Thoule Missiroglou

• The marvel of an authentic contact.“…” Even though the performance is based on a series of everyday, “special” stories on being different, disability and the people who relate to it – thus making it prone to melodramatic catchwords -, it is fully integrated in an artistic context. The direction is outstanding, the dramatic language is exceptional and humane (being the result of the experiences shared by the members themselves), the actors, new and novice alike, are amazing: they constantly make you sway among the emotions of a reality, where the simplest thing can become complex, repeated, funny, tragic or even unintelligible, and where the most complex, shocking incident can become mundane. “…”

      -See more http://www.exostispress.gr/Article/to-thaima-tis-pragmatikis-sinantisis-0#ixzz2vdImg9q5

 

By Mih. G. Bakogiannis, Lecturer at the Department of Philology of A.U.T.H.

• The man-fan. “…” What I witnessed was soul-stirring. A group of kids, with the natural talent of the youth spirit and a thirst for expression in every move. I felt like I was taken by the hand by one of them and all of them at once, effortlessly, away from my reality. I felt like I was a witness of their own lives, a confidant of what makes them special but not different and I was asked to share the sincerity of their emotions and the authenticity of voice; that’s how I felt. I did not just watch the performance, I experienced it. Thank you.

      -See more http://blogs.auth.gr/mixalisb/  

 

By Katerina Tzioridou

• We were deeply moved by the performance of The fan-man or How to dress an elephant.“…” The artistic result of this attempt is distinguished by an exceptional aesthetic that is placed within the context of a theatrical, eventually autobiographical performance of people with or without a disability. Above all, we wish to point out the feelings that were triggered inside us. The performance moved us with an energy that soared among our eyes, our ears and our heart. “…”

      -See more http://www.kulturosupa.gr/index.php/theatromania/anemistiras-gnomi-2456/#.UwimimfNt9A

 

By Victor Arditis, Director – Academic

• How theatre can become a direct act of life. For several days now, I have been thinking that the performance of The man-fan or How to dress an elephant was one of the most interesting shows I have seen in the theatre lately. One of the smartest and most poignant. People with mental deficiency and special abilities together on stage, in perfect harmony, exchange and communication with volunteers from the dynamic organization “En Dynamei”. A kaleidoscopic, “musical” composition of incidents that bring to light the hardships of life, as well as a practically scandalous joy for life. The success attributed to Eleni Efthymiou lies in the fact that she took a “problem” and turned it into a sort of theatre that is unexpected, modern and lively, highly enjoyable and not at all didactic. A performance with music, dancing, singing, projections and often ironic language. As long as the group is able, they must perform it again and again.

 

Selected reviews-comments:

 

By Sophia Eftyhiadou, theatrologist

• A few minutes ago, I stepped out of the auditorium of the Municipal Theatre of Kalamaria, after having one of the most significant experiences of my life. The performance of “The man-fan or How to dress an elephant” by the group “En Dynamei”, directed by Eleni Efthymiou, possibly the most talented director of the new generation, is a stunning artistic event, a landmark in Greek theatre. The performance ought to participate in important festivals abroad, it deserves it! Congratulations to everyone and to Eleni Dimopoulou in particular, the life and soul of the production. It seems that the heart of drama is transmitting from Thessaloniki in2014.

 

By Maria Patsidou-Iliadou, Counselor of special education

• The notion of otherness managed to move even the cruelest aspects of human nature and taught us a lesson that even the best existing schools could not teach as well as this! It was the best kind of lesson, one that should not be missed by anyone! My heartiest congratulations go to everyone involved, as well as my wish that you continue your innovative work with the same vigorousness!

 

By Giannis Ergeletzis, Colibri, branding & design

• A performance where the applause in the finale lasted five minutes and you kept making noise clapping your hands together, even when they hurt. And all because of the whirlwind of emotions that you experienced in your heart and for the fact that when you walked out of the auditorium, you were a different person. Magic. Yes, people are sometimes magic.

 

By Lia Michaelidis

• Magnificent! You walk in as a wildling and walk out as a human being.

 

By Eleni Giannousi, actress, director

• It was a mere affirmation towards Art, great Art, life itself, that is. A smile towards Man. For the man who is different, for his virtues and vices, for the pain and the humour, even for his own loneliness. A simple “yes” to human kindness that has been misunderstood, to laughter and tears, to the effortless effort. However, the group “En Dynamei” did not stop at the easy part. The exceptional direction, as well as the final dramatic composition did not let the viewers struggle on their own with their emotions, not for a single moment. Their thoughts were constantly disturbed – their mind, like a sponge, was stubbornly trying to take in what was happening, whatever truth they could handle. Because the play was full of truths, and we all know that the truth hurts.

 

By Elias Papadopoulos, actor

• That was a truly remarkable performance. From now on, it will undoubtedly become the benchmark against which all the upcoming performances will be measured for me.