“O Fondas” by Mitsos Efthimiades

Eleni Gerasimidou’s and Andonis Xenos’ theatre company “Vimata” present the work of Mitsos Efthimiades “O Fondas”, one of the small “treasures” of contemporary Greek dramaturgy.

Prompted by the relationship of a couple, Voulis and Aristea, Mitsos Efthimiades skillfully depicts the relationship between the manipulator and the manipulated. Voulis, a useless husband, is a leech who lives off his wife, Aristea. He prolongs and maintains the situation to his advantage through the use of various techniques of deception. One of those is Fondas. Fondas does not exist and yet is central to the plot. “Fondas” symbolizes fruitless hopes, unfulfilled promises, delusions and everything which is a social obstacle to the evolution of man and society.

Ten years after the death of Mitsos Efthimiades (2003) and the timeless values and political symbolisms  begin to emerge from his work. For today’s adaptation to the stage of “Fondas”, the symbolic dimensions must be accentuated through the use of simplistic scenery and expressive means and through a theatrical awareness of both cast and crowd. As such the play is presented in its raw form to be interpreted and processed by the audience. This is the goal of the line of direction which bears the artistic signature of Angeliki Xenou.

In order to produce the work on stage and inspired by the director’s vision, the theatre company “Vimata” collaborated with the group “KollektivA” to produce original music for the play. Scenery and costumes are by Costas Velinopoulos. In the roles of Aristea and Voulis are Eleni Gerasimidou and Andonis Xenos.

Mitsos Efthimiades, one of the most important Greek theatrical writers, was born in Athens on December 1945. He studied law in Thessaloniki but never completed his studies for, as he would often say ” I ran from college so as not to be late for my rendezvous with literature”.

His first theatrical appearance was a great success. It was 1975 when Karolos Koun was staging “Prostatés” in the basement of the “Art Theatre”. A play about colonialism/xenokratia and its roots in Greek history, accompanied by music and songs by Christos Leondis. It was obvious that Mitsos Efthimiades had taken care in writing it for the general public and with knowledge of the codes of Greek folklore (from the shadow puppet Karagiozis to the traditional festivals called “panygiria”).

After “Prostatés” there came “O Fondas” (1977-1978), “O Fonias” (1981-83), and “Pera apo ti nyxta” in 1997.  He took up directing and staged Mrozek’s “Les Emigrés” and Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” and “Endgame” at the “Polytheama” theatre of Ioannina. He also translated Aristophanes’ “The Knights” and Aeschylus’ “Prometheus Bound” and wrote a novel called “Moiraia Sxesi”.