The descendants of refugees from Asia Minor in Upper Eleusis star in a site-specific peripatetic performance in the quaint neighborhood of Synoikismos (Settlement). The small refugee homes and the impassable alleys silently bear witness to the memories of the great uprooting. Storytelling tiles compose the mosaic of the performance, which moves between fiction and documentation. The personal testimony of one becomes the story of many. Participants and audience view the origins and heritage of Asia Minor Greeks through radios, televisions, music and documentary videos that have not been silenced for a hundred years – a live broadcast that continues in perpetuity and is trans- mitted to future generations. Behind peeled walls, abandoned courtyards and newly built two-storey houses, a new version of history is being laid out for the first time. The show broadens the ongoing dialogue between documentary and performance the group has opened with the place and its residents since 2018. It was first presented in the Synikismos Festival 2019.

Credits:

Directed by Yolanda Markopoulou

Dramaturgy: Ioanna Valsamidou

Collaboration in dramaturgy: Thanos Tsakalidis Video Design: Erato Tzavara & Yolanda Markopoulou

Musical Composition: dorόs

Costume design: Paris Mexis

Research: The team

Cast: Thanos Tsakalidis, Athanasia Kourkaki Live Music: dorόs – Nickolas Angelopoulos (lute, lavta), Dimitris Brendas (clarinet, ney, kaval), Alexis Nonis (darbuka, bendir, stamna, cajon, kalimba), Nikos Skafidas (violin) Christos Syngelos (out) Members of the Elefsina Asia Minor Greeks Association

Participating: Grigoris Asimakopoulos, Voula Gemela-Kalaskani, Arhonto Gemela-Marouga, Georgia Yiaytzoglou-Antoniadou, Marina Daskalou, Froso Karakitsou, Maria Lioura, Maritsa Michailou, Periklis Michailos, Kaiti Saritzioti, Vaso Sfika, Vaggelis Tsakiroglou, Eugenia Tsolaki

Production Management: Vicky Strataki

Sound Design (video): Lambros Pigounis

Set Desing Assistant: Sofialena Xezonaki Production Assistants: Jenny Anagnostopoulou, Tania Koutala, Elena Livathinou, Nastia Livathinou, Nokos Haralabidis

Subtitles: Myrto Giannakopoulou

Performance photos: Elina Younanli

Production: Eleusis 2021 European Capital of Culture, POLYPLANITY Productions

With support from the Elefsina Asia Minor Greeks Association Historical and Folklore Museum and from mind the fact.

We sincerely thank Filippos Koutsafti for the concession of archive material from the film “Mourning Rock” (Αγέλαστος Πέτρα), the head of the parish of the Holy Apostles Archimandrite Seraphim Dritsa, Christos Delaortas, Konstantina Tyrli, Kostis Pavlopoulos, Sakis Stritsidis, Sasa Papachristopoulou, Paminos Kyrkinis and Andrew Visnewsky for their invaluable support.