“The witches of Smyrna” on the contemporary stage

Authors

  • Konstantza Georgakaki Theatre Studies Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

Keywords:

witch, novel, adaptation, Minor Asia, Greek community

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.

Author Biography

Konstantza Georgakaki, Theatre Studies Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

Konstantza Georgakaki is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Theatre Studies (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens). She is also Departmental Erasmus Coordinator (University Paul Valéry‐Montpellier III and Babeş‐Bolyai University) and Departmental CIVIS Coordinator. Her research interests include the investigation of Greek theatre history (19th‐20th century) as well as its archival documentation. She is also interested in the reception of foreign theatre companies in the Greek stage. In her most recent publication, she focuses on the relation between Athenian “revue” and dictatorship.

Published

2021-02-02

How to Cite

Georgakaki, K. (2021). “The witches of Smyrna” on the contemporary stage. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai - Dramatica, 65(1), 173–187. Retrieved from https://dramatica.ro/index.php/j/article/view/38