at the Apothiki Theater
“Death bore my own name. It had already killed me… I told them I was alive. They didn’t believe me.”
“They believed him more than they believed their own eyes, which were fixed on me.”
The play“I Am Not Manthos Mandilakis,” made a strong impression last May when it premiered in Athens, earning rave reviews and a warm round of applause from the audience. It is based on the short story“Blood in the City Along with Light”by Vilia Hatzopoulou and is being presented for the second consecutive year, this time at the Apothiki Theater for only six performances.
The case:
1929. The major strike at the Fotacierio factory is underway. Athens is plunged into darkness from one end to the other. Two men will confront betrayal. A third man will follow them, upholding justice as the only truth. The strike, however, is wearing them down, driving them to fury. They have already given more to this struggle than they can bear, and the pressure will lead to the death of one of them. Under what circumstances? Is the dead man’s grave lie an act of sacrifice, or is it murder?
In the play*I Am Not Manthos Mandilakis*, alongside the larger historical narrative, we also follow the personal stories of our characters. The strike, as a major historical event, forces them to take a stand. The dilemmas are tough, as the strike drags on and their endurance is put to the test. The heroes will act under pressure, and many of their darker traits will come to light.
Author and director Vilia Hatzopoulou notes:“In the play, the great strike and the turbulent political situation of the time are the main points of conflict between our two protagonists. The harsh conditions and their lost wages are crushing them. Each will take a different path to resolve the problem. Everything will be determined by their character, as is always so masterfully the case in drama. Whatever they lack in political knowledge, willpower, or confidence is made up for by their deepest instincts. Their natural, most primal instincts will drive the dramatic decisions that will amount to betrayal and shape the course of history politically, morally, and socially.”
