50 Years Later - Ntenekedoupoli once more! - Ίδρυμα Μιχάλης Κακογιάννης

50 Years Later

Ntenekedoupoli once more!

Melenios’s Great Journey

By Evgenia Fakinou
With music by Giannis Markopoulos

It’s an old city, yet so modern. There, on the junkyard’s edge. A city entirely made of tin cans. The houses, the school, the trees, the flowers… everything is made of little tin cans. They call it… what else? Ntenekedoupoli.

Here is where Melenios was headed on his Great Journey. Enchanted by a daisy and the stories of the well-traveled mouse, tired of sleeping on the shelf of the old storage shed, he ventured out onto the road and threw himself into the adventure towards freedom. He came across mountains, trees, and birds. He met the wise old-Kalamari. He wasn’t fooled by pompous leaders. He wasn’t afraid of a figure made of straw with bulging eyes set up to scare him. He continued on to meet Sardela, Militsa, and Boutirenio, to live equally alongside them and to join forces for justice.

Melenios’s great journey to Ntenekedoupoli
is a coming-of-age allegory. Our hero, a modern-day Odysseus, thirsty for knowledge and a genuine life, leaves behind a purposeless daily existence and boldly plunges into adventure in search of a world that is free, just, and filled with values that seem to have been lost.

The theatre company Mikros Notos meets Melenios in Eugenia Fakinou’s Ntenekedoupoli, 50 years later, in a new theatrical adaptation that places the child at the centre of the action, based on interaction and the principles of educational drama.

Eugenia Fakinou and Mikros Notos converge today on the values of respect for children and love for simple, handmade materials. Together, they address themes that are as relevant as ever: democracy, children’s rights, personal development, immigration, and the power of the big over the small. With Giannis Markopoulos’ music performed live on stage, with soundscapes created from homemade percussion, and both familiar and unfamiliar musical instruments, the performance «Ntenekedoupoli once more! Melenios’s Great Journey» is presented at the Michalis Kakogiannis Foundation, introducing children to ancient simple toys, without any buttons, the internet, or computers.

About the Story: «Melenios’s Great Journey» is the fourth work in the Ntenekedoupoli series, which was first presented by Eugenia Fakinou’s Object Theater in 1979. Ntenekedoupoli made its debut in 1975, shortly after the fall of the Junta. A total of five works were written: Ntenekedoupoli, In Kurdistan (Clockworkland), Ntenekedoupoli Wake Up, Melenios’s Great Journey, and Mr. Ultramer. Their last performance was in 1982. In the years that followed, there were only three professional theatrical adaptations (Thessaloniki’s Theatre Workshop, Thessalian Theatre, National Theatre of Northern Greece), along with countless performances in cities, villages, and neighbourhoods, by teachers, kindergarten teachers, and amateur groups from cultural and student associations. Creations crafted from inferior materials, movement and speech coordination, and games with the power to joyfully unfold stories provide countless people with the raw materials to express what truly matters.

About the Theater Group Mikros Notos
Since 2012, we have been creating interactive performances with live music from well-known, traditional, and original musical instruments, drawing our themes from stories, myths, traditions, and fairytales from folk culture as well as contemporary fairytales. “We create heartfelt performances with a sense of responsibility and respect, with the child at the core of our focus” emphasises Chryssa Diamantopoulou, director/actress specialising in Theatre in Education and artistic director of the Mikros Notos theatre company.

CONTRIBUTORS
Author: Eugenia Fakinou
Music: Giannis Markopoulos
Theatrical Adaptation: Flora Spyrou & Chryssa Diamantopoulou
(The scenes with the Nightingale were written with the contribution of Nikos Axiotis)
Direction: Chryssa Diamantopoulou
Voice Coaching: Akindynos Gikas
Puppetry Coaching: Kleio Kioulpali
Actors: Nikos Axiotis, Elsa Loumpardia, Lina Moumtzi
Live Music: The Mikros Notos Team
Music Instruction/Soundscape Creation: Giorgos Andriotis
Interactive Design: Flora Spyrou
Puppet Construction/Set Design: Giorgos Koftis
Puppet Curation/Set Curation: Vasso Yareni
Movement Coordination: Elena Gerodimou
Lighting: Apostolis Tsatsakos
Photography: Tasos Vrettos
Rehearsal Photography: Vaggelis Evangelou
Graphic Design: Losty Design
Set Construction: Giannis Tsioutas
Production Execution/Assistant Director: Myra Xidi
Communication Manager: Evaggelia Skrombola
Legal Advisor: Galatea Kapellakou
Artistic Supervision/Production Organization: Chryssa Diamantopoulou