Soultana Kalligas-karagiozis

ATHENSPLUS • FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2009

THE EVENT

WEEKEND PROGRAM UNIMA Hellas, the Greek branch of the nongovernmental international association of puppeteers, is organizing a series of events celebrating World Puppetry Day, from March 20-22.

Friday & Saturday Grown-ups get creative The Puppet Center (28 Vassileos Constantinou, Aghioi Anargyroi) runs workshops for adults on Friday from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. For reservations, call 210.832.6357.

Teaching tools Two milk cartons that fell in love while on the supermarket shelf are reunited at the recycling plant, at the Theatro tou Iliou in Plaka.

with variety of shows os per person. r more Karagiozis, head to the assis Spyropoulos Shadow ter in Galatsi (Lambrinis & 9 Erel 210.262.9046), where there is erent performance every Sunday 0 p.m. as well as an exhibition figures and sets from the shadheater. Tickets cost just 4 euros. puppet that got away, much in adition of Pinocchio, is the stoPulcinella at Morfes Ekfrasis (13

maras,’ the story of a ened little boy, is based on a by Georgios Vizyinos. minis, Kato Petralona, tel 46.4903/4002), where a young onette cuts his strings and runs live in the forest, emng on the strangest ntures he has ever nd meeting the oddharacters he could magine. Every Saturt 5 p.m., there is munging and dancing to rate Pulcinella’s new Tickets cost 12 euros dults and juniors, and ros for kids.

Georgios Vizyinos, the 19th-century Greek writer of some of the country’s favorite children’s tales, provided the inspiration for the “Tromaras” puppet theater play at the Kivotos Mython Theater (12 Anapafseos, Mets, tel 210.921.6346; admission costs11 euros), where the children in the audience help a young boy who is afraid of his own shadow overcome all his fears. The story “Donkeyskin” by the father of the fairy tale, 17th-century French writer Charles Perrault, provided the inspiration for “Gaidouro,” on at the Studio Mavromichali (134 Mavromichali, Neapoli, tel 210.6453.330). In this educational tale, a spoiled young princess demands that her father make her a present of the hide of the donkey that has been providing the kingdom with an abundance of gold that promises them centuries of prosperity. Punished for her greed, the pretty young princess becomes an ugly creature to whom no one wants to talk, until she decides to make up for her nasty behavior. The play is on every Saturday at 5.30 p.m., while tickets for this performance, which includes actors, puppets, music and dance, cost 10 euros.

Stathis Markopoulos discusses the use of puppets as a teaching tool on Friday from 4-6.30 p.m. and Saturday from 5.30-9.30 p.m. at the Association of Theatrologists (25 Koumoundourou, central Athens). For reservations, call 210.832.6357.

More for kids Anna Santorineou teaches children aged 6 and up how to make puppets from crepe paper on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. On Saturday, Voula Kourou shows children of all ages how to creatively recycle materials, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Both at the Theatro tis Kouklas (34 Psaroudaki, Kato Patissia). For reservations, call 210.832.3714.

The poetic aspect Evi Gerocosta discusses the history of poetry in puppet theater in two workshops for adults on Friday and Saturday from 6.30-9 p.m. at the Kokomouklo Theater (30-32 Megistis, Kallithea). For reservations, call 210.953.2236.

Saturday Bringing paper to life The Kentro Varous group teaches children how to make puppets from paper at Nosotros (66 Themistocleous, Exarchia) from 4-6 p.m. For reservations, call 6974.078.538.

Open house The Prassein Aloga puppet theater company (60 Voulgaroktonon, Exarchia) opens its doors to parents and kids and shows them around their displays of handcrafted puppets from 3-4 p.m. For reservations, call 6932.628.305.

Workshops for youngsters The Paramythohora Theater (14 Anapafseos, Mets) has invited the Kivotos Mython troupe to teach children of all ages how to make their own marionettes from 6.30-8 p.m. For reservations, call 210.921.6346.

Sunday Grand parade Members of UNIMA will take their puppets to the Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian street and show off their skills, at 2 p.m. There will also be an open workshop.

Karagiozis: Neither here nor there BY SOULTANA KALLIGAS

Google the word “Karagiozis” and you will get about 50,000 hits; change the spelling slightly to “Karagoz” and the hits multiply by 40. The history behind the shadow theater hero is a matter of debate; some say he was a Greek jester in the sultan’s court, while others claim he was a man of Turkic descent in 14th-century Bursa, a multicultural city in the Byzantine Empire. Though it seems he is generally perceived as hailing from Turkey, this popular form of entertainment is more or less the same in both countries. Karagiozis, or Karagoz (meaning “black eye” in Turkish) is the main character of the same-named shadow puppet play, made popular during the Ottoman period and part of the folklore of both Greece and Turkey. The play’s main theme is the contrast between the illiterate but street-smart public, embodied by Karagiozis, and the higher, educated classes, personified by characters such as Hadjiavatis, a flatterer of the powerful who has a way with words, Sior Dionysios (aka Nionios), a Zakynthian of imagined aristocratic stock, the Vizier and other colorful characters. The play always ends with Karagiozis having somehow fooled the establishment, but never better off than he was before. The Turkish version of the origins of Karagiozis has been successfully carried over to the silver screen with 2006’s “Hacivat Karagoz neden oldurudu?” (Who Killed the Shadows?). When Hacivat, a sharp messenger, witnesses the public’s reaction to the tragicomic monologue of Karagoz, an illiterate nomad, crying over his dying cow, he decides to take advantage of the opportunity and sets out to convince Karagoz that they should form a street show to make money. The penniless nomad turns out to be wittier than expected and soon the duo are humorously criticizing the authorities, amassing both popularity and enemies. When their satire becomes too entangled in the local power structures, though, Karagoz and Hacivat are beheaded; their legend, however, was to live on through the performance of plays using camel hide as puppets. The Greek version of Karagiozis, the main form of entertainment for the masses for centuries, always starts with a dance sequence between Karagiozis and his three sons. “Yiassou, family!” he tells his sons enthusiastically, bouncing around behind the screen. “Yiassou, Daddy!” cheers one of the boys. “Yiassou, husband of my mother!” cheers an-

EVGENIOS SPATHARIS One of the most famous Greek Karagiozis-players is the stillperforming, award-winning Evgenios Spatharis. Son of a Karagiozis player, he first began drawing scenery, but started performing during the German occupation in World War II. He recorded over 15 plays on vinyl and, in 1980, joined the world of television as well, broadcasting

weekly on state TV. As a result, there is probably not a living person in Greece who has not heard of him. Spatharis’s life work, which is now a part of Greece’s cultural heritage, is celebrated at the museum he established in 1995 where meticulously collected Karagiozis memorabilia, from the 1860s to his own creations (puppets, scenery, lighting materials, musical instruments and special effects) are on display. A documentary in English will also be available for non-Greek speakers. Spathario Museum (Vas. Sofias & Dimitriou Ralli, Kastalias Sq, Maroussi, tel 210.612.7245, www.karagiozismuseum.gr). Open Mondays-Fridays 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Wednesdays 6-8 p.m.

other. “Yiassou, son of my grandmother!” calls out the third. Later in the show, when an adult asks one of Karagiozis’s sons where his father is, he answers in a heavy, village accent, “My dad’s gone ice-skating” – which is not only a lie, it is blatant sarcasm. And this is exactly where the appeal of Karagiozis lies: in his refusal to take seriously anyone who perceives himself as serious. I often remember my father’s usual response to anyone who asked about his plans for the near future: “We’ll eat, we’ll drink and we’ll go to bed on empty stomachs,” he would say in typical Karagiozis style.

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