“The witches of Smyrna” on the contemporary stage

Abstract

The novel The Witches of Smyrna by Mara Meimaridi (2001) is adapted for the stage and directed by Stamatis Fassoulis in 2018. The play transports spectators back to Smyrna, its clubs and celebrated fin‐de‐siècle cafés, for a story of magic, spells and cosmetics. The historical context remembers to the audience the lost homelands. Magical knowledge and practice were not widely accepted among individuals and communities in Minor Asia. But Katina, a smart young woman with magical abilities, ignore the reactions and impose herself across Smyrna’s society. The Greek witch at the beginning of 20th century is a woman next door, modern and independent, without Halloween’s witch hat or other accessories.