Co-OPERAtive, the first intercultural youth opera kindergarten in Europe, is in its fourth year and invites us on a superhero adventure with a SUPER musical theater production. The performance will be presented free of charge to the audience on the Alternative Stage of the National Opera at the Cultural Center of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation on Friday, May 31, 2024 at 8:30 p.m.
“What superhero did you want to be when you were little and who do you want to be now?” is the starting question on the path of successive transformations into characters with superpowers. Many biographical fictional narratives constitute a non-linear collective history of allegorical as well as literal transitions from condition to state upon which the self is mapped: both the personal utopia and the inner reality of each of us.
The musical composition is by Panos Iliopoulos, the texts are by a mixed group of Athenian teenagers and unaccompanied minor asylum seekers participating in the education program from Social EKAV and the European Cypriot Expression, and directed by Argyro Chioti. Text and lyrics by Eleni Moleski and Argyro Chioti, sets and costumes by Pavlos Thanopoulos, animation by Katerina Jevetzi and lighting by Tasos Paleoroutas. Nikos Ziaziaris and Vasso Karioti are responsible for music workshops, Eleni Moleski for theater and Katerina Jevetzi for dance. The performance is presented with the participation of the Cooperative youth group and the musical ensemble, conductor Markellos Krisikopoulos on the harpsichord.
The Co-OPERAtive educational program awarded by the European Organization FEDORA in 2019 seeks to bring opera closer to young audiences by emphasizing the intercultural diversity of modern Athens and the importance of social cohesion. As part of the program, a mixed group of Athenian teenagers and unaccompanied minor asylum seekers came together weekly to create their own musical theater production under the guidance of artists and educators from the fields of music, theatre, opera and dance.
Cooperative Social was implemented in close cooperation with EKAB and European Cell Expression.
A few words about the process from the teaching and creative team
From the beginning until today, there were two axes that we worked on simultaneously: on the one hand, to get to know each other, to create ideas, to talk, to get to know each other, and to note the interests of the participants and carry out exercises to celebrate them. The second axis was the creation of a functional collective on stage, along with the theatrical, musical and kinetic expressive development of each teenager. The main goal is the collective creation of stage narratives, which includes speech, music, song, the embodiment of short stories brought by the participants with their own writing, and finally, the synthetic processing of all in relation to the main director’s idea. superheroes and transition, both literally and figuratively.
A few words about the show
In the playful mood of moving from one place to another, from one stage of life to another, from one language to another, to an unknown language and becoming something else, something unknown and surprising, we asked: “Who did you want to be when you were little, who do you want to be now?” Is it still the same?’ We talked to all the participants, explored their personal utopias, and co-created a show of permanent transformation around superpowers. Without the need to follow the story line, we created a transition song from state to state, from bottom and underwater to breathing, to air and the possibility of flight, to a state of absolute power of body and soul. the magical possibility of extinction. Through this route, we always end up trying to map out the same, but ever-evolving self. “I just want to be myself.”
– The creative team
SUPER
Musical theater performance
Alternative Stage of the National Opera – SNFCC
Friday, May 31, 2024
Start time: 20.30
Free entry with priority tickets to be distributed exclusively from 12.00 on May 22. ticketing services
Music composition, electronic: Panos Iliopoulos
Texts: Participant in a mixed group of Athenian and unaccompanied adolescent asylum seekers
Text editing, lyrics: Eleni Moleski, Argyro Chioti
Music ensemble director: Markellos Chrysikopoulos
Director: Argyro Chioti
Sets, costumes: Pavlos Thanopoulos
Motion Editor: Katerina Gevetzi
Lighting: Tasos Paleoroutas
Music teaching: Vasso Kariotis
It involves mixed groups of Athenian and unaccompanied asylum-seeking teenagers from Social EKAV and European Expression Cypseli.
Music ensemble: Zoe Puri (violin), Zuli Stalder (viola da gamba, double bass), Iason Karahalios (clarinet), Omar Abozekry (new), Panos Iliopoulos (piano), Marcellos Chrysikopoulos (harpsichord)
Music workshop leaders: Nikos Ziaziaris, Vasso Karioti
Head of theater workshops: Eleni Moleski
Head of dance workshops: Katerina Gevetzi