How much theatrical, and not only, value does an invisible human existence have?
We talked to him Alexandros Nikolaos Balamotis on the occasion of the upcoming theatrical performance "The Servants" under his own direction, which was a product of collaboration between the groups The Prodigy Theatre Company and Naif.It is an existential comedy inspired by Chekhov's "The Seagull" to explore the question of the man who serves, the one who doesn't seem important enough to "star"; the insignificant.
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So are there "insignificant" people?
And what can happen when the perspective changes and the spotlight falls on the "insignificant"?
In the discussion that follows, Alexandros Nikolaos Balamotis talks to theCommonSense; for the idea and conception of the work, for his permanent interest in a deepening into a more existential reflection that goes beyond the limits of social commentary, for the theater, for the experimental theater, for when the avant-garde in the theater is sincere and honest , about when one should leave the theater, about today around us; inside and outside the theater.
He talks about his path, his own milestones; his first direction.
"From February 2017, premiere of my first directorial, until today: I moved house. I worked as an actor at the Vakhtangov Theater. I traveled with Vakhtangov. Europe and Russia. I played in Epidaurus. I directed 2 more shows. I did a master's degree in Scotland in Theater Directing. That's where Covid found me. I did another master's degree, outside of London, in theater direction. Oh, I also founded the company: The Prodigy Theatre Company".
We borrow his above words from notes at rejected.gr last year; because they give us the opportunity to catch the thread and especially the meaning of the course from his first direction in Mr. Timothy and the Lost Gem of Knowledge at the Thessalian Theater in 2017, at F * ck Strindberg in 2022 at the Experimental Stage of Thessaly and at The Servants which will do premiere In a few days, at October 30 in the Theater Space.
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What is it that drew your attention to the servants from the play "The Seagull" by Anton Chekhov? How did you come up with the idea to write a new text in which the protagonists become two completely insignificant roles in the original work, which if their presence is removed does not change anything from it as you yourself mention?
To Seagull by Anton Chekhov, three servants appear: Yakov, the cook and a maid. However, it is implied that there are other servants/workers on the estate. In our work on the text, we were inspired by Yakov. A marginally mute role (with 2-3 lines in total) who appears and disappears at will in almost all of his actions Seagull. Studying his function in Chekhov's work, we felt that there is not only one Yakov, but many. As it seemed difficult to us that the same man was building Trepliev's sketchy play in the first act. Himself to work in the fields and carry the rye. He himself carries suitcases and objects around the house in the third act, and is asked to make tea in the fourth.
The idea of seeing the events of a play through the eyes of a minor character has been done several times in the past. The best-known work in this style is by Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Also the director Katie Mitchell has approached classic texts (e.g. Miss Julia, Cherry orchard) through the gaze of an "other".
We use the perspective of two seemingly "insignificant" people to see a classic work, a classic story through an alternative look. They say History is written by the winners. We try to resist this and examine the "story" through two servants.
Who are "insignificant" people for you? Are they around us?
There are no insignificant people. There are people who "loudly" declare their presence and work, and people who quietly and steadily work just as hard, if not harder. The fact that a person does not "see" does not make him insignificant. I think we tend to pay attention to the loud ones and underestimate the quiet ones. For this reason, the Naif team (Antonis Kyriakakis and George Paterakis) tackled this project.
And what can happen when the perspective changes and the spotlight falls on the "insignificant"? I'm referring to both the Servants plot and real life…
It's the question in the research we do in rehearsal. When someone is the center of attention, what need is created for them? What does he want to communicate? This is what we explore in our rehearsal. You will see the result on stage.
This particular play by Chekhov, when first performed in 1895, was an artistic and commercial failure. It became a triumph three years later when it was staged a second time under Stanislavski's direction. As far as I know you have been particularly into the "Stanislavski Method"· what is it that fascinates you so much about her?
Stanislavski almost created his system so that works like the Gull and for the public to understand them. That's why it became a huge success in 2The his staging, at the Moscow Art Theater. Today if we talk about Stanislavski System there can be a confusion. When I speak and teach about it, I refer to the tradition of the system as it has reached our days, through its successors and not only. It is a multi-collective knowledge which was started by Konstantin Sergeyevich, but which has evolved.
The reason I was attracted to this school is because it is a clean system with rules and terminology. It removes the art of theater from amateurism and offers a clean methodology.
Did Stanislavski's connection with "The Seagull" influence you to inspire "Servants"?
One of Stanislavski's last rehearsal methods was Active Analysis. It is an active way of exploring and analyzing the text, which places the action at the center of the study, and makes the actor active from 1The minute, thin. This is also our rehearsal method. Also the tool of "Off" scenes, used in directing and teaching, is part of the system. The "Off" scene does not take place in front of the audience's eyes, during the play, but theoretically in another space, or even at a different time. Nouns The Servants is a set of his "Off" scenes Seagull.
F*ck Strindberg that you directed in 2022 at the Experimental Stage of Thessaly was based on Strindberg's "The Borrowers", where you intervened in the apothecary text by giving both the male and female roles to men in order to comment on the author's views on the female gender . Is it random or does it consciously focus on works that give rise to social commentary?
It's no accident. The truth is that I have an organic need to tackle a project and especially a research question. Classical texts give us great wealth to explore because they are multi-layered and deal with the essential issues of human existence. However, I wouldn't say that the texts I end up exploring on stage deal with a social commentary. Certainly on a first level they have social commentary, but my aim is to delve into a more existential reflection.
What is Experimental Theater for you?
I will steal the answer from a friend and colleague of theirs Servants, Antonis Kyriakakis. In experimental theatre, because of its investigative nature, forgive the mistake. That's how I would define it too: a theater that involves risk.
How do you position yourself in the great dialogue that opened this summer on the occasion of the Wasps of Kitsopoulos in Epidaurus? Classicist theater or pioneer? Is it a one-way street or any option for you? And above all, do you consider that theatrical innovation in Greece today is a matter of substance or is it a form of fashion?
I will answer you again through the words of another. Anne Bogart, a great theater personality worldwide, writes in her book A Director Prepares, that the intention of a performance is something that cannot be hidden. And the audience will subconsciously understand if the intention is honest, even in an artistically unsuccessful upload. I believe that as long as the theater is polyphonic, we are fine as a society. I can choose what to watch as long as there is something for everyone. The important thing for me is that everything that goes up has an honest intention.
What was the defining moment that made you realize you wanted to do theatre?
I don't think I've ever experienced such a moment. I wanted to do this since I was little. And early on I started studying. I devoted all my studies to the theater and continue to train.
And what was the landmark moment that defined your artistic identity and path?
My first direction was a milestone. Mr. Timothy and the Lost Gem of Knowledge, at the Thessalian Theater in 2017. It was the first time I completely immersed myself in the world of directing and realized that I belong there. From that moment another path opened in me.
The hardest time of your life?
Due to the nature of the work, the difficulties are many, and continuous. I struggled enough when at 38 I left for Scotland for the 1stThe my master's degree in directing. It was hard to go back to the desks after so many years of career, reset the counter and start all over again. Let alone in another country, far from the safety of my home.
If you weren't an actor and director what would you like to be?
Dancer. It's my repulsion.
When should one leave the theater?
Very difficult question. I don't know if I am able to answer. Theoretically when the person himself feels it or when the audience shows it in some way. If the man himself needs it and the public goes to the shows, meaning that what he is testifying is about the people, then why should he leave?
Have there been any major influences in your life? Influences that defined you?
There were both positive and negative. I will stick to the most positive and most recent one. To my directing teacher Katie Mitchell who introduced me to the Stanislavsky System and a methodology that gives me meaning and substance.
How do you see the advance of the political correctness movement and the woke?
Extremely great. However, great care is needed so that it does not end up in reverse fascism. I believe moderation is the coolest way to find solutions to such important issues.
What scares you most in Greece today and what gives you hope?
The choice of violence as a way of venting scares me. Of how easily I push a man into the water and let him drown.
Theater gives me hope. In difficult times we have to do a lot of theater and people have to choose to see a lot of theater.
After "Servants" do you know what's next?
There is a plan for a show, again in collaboration with Naif. But it is still early to talk about it. We are in the fever of Servants and premiering on October 30th, all our energy is focused there.
Thank you very much and we wish him great success Servants…
And thank you very much for your interest in our show.
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A few words about the show
Case: We are in 1895 in a country house surrounded by estates in Russia. There two servants try to organize their lives and dreams. At the same time, they work for the caretaker Ilya Afaniasyevich Samrayev, as well as for the guests of honor of the owner of the estate Pyotr Nikolayevich Sorin. His sister Irina Nikolaevna Arkadina, her ambivalent son Konstantin Gavriilovich Trepliev and a bunch of other people who with their drama and exaggeration don't leave them alone.
The show is one existential comedy inspired by Yakov, an almost silent role in the play Gull by Anton Chekhov. His presence in Seagull it is so small that if it is removed, as it usually is, it changes nothing of the work. Focusing on the presence of such "insignificant" people and placing them at the center of the action, we watch through their eyes the events at Sorin's estate. How much "life" are servants allowed? They manage to dream and plan a better tomorrow or their marginally mute presence in its structure Seagull, does it also reflect their silencing in relation to rights, desires, and their very existence?
The text, which is uploaded for the first time, was created during the rehearsals with the Active Analysis technique of Constantin Stanislavski.
Coefficients
Text creators – Dramaturgy: Alexandros Nikolaos Balamotis, Antonis Kyriakakis, George Paterakis
Directed by: Alexandros Nikolaos Balamotis
Sets-Costumes: Ilias Petropoulos
Assistant Director & Lighting Design: Katerina Maria Saltaura
Sound Design: Mick Glykas
Photos: Alexandra Riba
Contact: Marika Arvanitopoulou | Art Ensemble
Rehearsal space: Omicron3
Create trailer: Stefanos Kosmidis Orki Productions
Constructions: Katerina Maria Saltaura, George Paterakis
Production: The Prodigy Theatre Company – Naif
They are playing Antonis Kyriakakis and George Paterakis
Their voices are heard Lena Bozaki and Dionysis Pifea in the roles of Nina and Trepliev by Seagull by Anton Chekhov translated by David Maltese.
Information
Theater Location: Orfeos & Praviou 6-8, Botanikos.
Every Monday and Tuesday from October 30, 2023, for a few performances.
Start time: 21.00
Ticket prices: 14 euros general admission, 10 reduced (Students, disabled).
Presale: www.ticketservices.gr/event/oi-ipiretes-theatro-xoros/
More information: www.theprodigytheatre.com / horostheatre.gr
