‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare in the main prison of Greece
Finding art in unlikely places. In this emotional talk (TEDxAthens), Stratis Panourios shares his experience as the Director of the first theatrical play taking place inside a prison in Greece.
The 1st Theatre Workshop, run by the National Theatre of Greece in collaboration with Korydallos Prison, presented ‘The Tempest‘ by William Shakespeare, inside the Athenian prison, on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of June, 2017.
On November 2016, the National Theatre launched an innovative intervention in joint effortwith Korydallos Prison and the Ministry of Justice Office for Anti – Crime Policy. The 1st Theatre Workshop was created, with a distinct research approach, and was offered to inmatesfrom all wings within Korydallos prison.
The Workshop commenced on November with 20 participants, who attended a series of theoretical and practical sessions on the fundamental principles of acting – a study on theactor’s process – and on the exploration and analysis of Shakespearean plays. The participants studied selected plays and presented their own dramaturgical and socio-political approach tothe group.
On January 2017 the group, together with the National Theater’s actor Asimina Anastasοpoulou, started rehearsing for Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’. After intense researchand dramaturgical analysis, the participants took over the adaptation of the text, aiming atkeeping its poetic form but also incorporating everyday language used in prison.
In April 2017 this initiative was joined by the music workshop run in Korydallos prison bythe Greek National Opera. The members of the music group worked closely with the theatre group and composed their own music under the guidance of the workshop’s facilitators M.C.Papadopoulos and A. Skordi.
On the 21st of June, after 8 months of intense studying and rehearsing, National Theatre’s research project completed its first period and the participants performed ‘The Tempest’ byWilliam Shakespeare, a unique theatre show inside Korydallos prison.