Shakespeare’s playRomeo and Juliet“, in a Greek-Turkish co-production, was attended by the Minister of Culture together with her Turkish counterpart Mehmet Nuri Ersoy Lina Mendoniwhich is making a two-day visit to Constantinople. The performance was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Costas Fragogiannis, who was also in Istanbul for talks in the context of the 6th round of talks on the positive agenda between Greece and Turkey.
The show, directed by Lefteris Yovanidis, is presented in three languages - Greek, Turkish and English – and the troupe consists of Greek and Turkish actors. The project brought together the artistic organizations of Greece and Turkey, contributing to the building of a cultural bridge and a positive climate between the two peoples.
The play, which premiered yesterday in Istanbul (at the Atatürk Cultural Center, AKM), will continue to be performed until Sunday, April 28, while it was already presented on April 21 and 22 in Ankara.
In joint statements by the two ministers, shortly after their meeting, the Minister of Culture emphasized that she had a very good agenda with her Turkish counterpart, while regarding the cooperation of Greek and Turkish actors and contributors on Shakespeare’s work, she expressed the opinion that it is a very good start to be able to further strengthen the cultural relations between the two peoples.
The minister also said that both sides, Greeks and Turks, agreed that these cultural relations “must be strengthened and will be strengthened.”
Referring to the joint Greek-Turkish theater performance – with its obvious symbolism both in terms of the play itself and the messages that come out of this collaboration – she meaningfully said that “it is a play that shows how dead ends can be , most of the time, old hostile relationships that are perpetuated, but also how all these negative feelings can be overcome and overcome with human contact”.
The statements of the Minister of Culture Linas Mendonis in detail:
“I would first like to thank you very much for your invitation to be here today to watch together the first performance of “Romeo and Juliet” which will take place shortly in this excellent cultural venue.
As the Chief Minister has already told you, we had an extremely good bilateral agenda. We discussed issues concerning the culture and cultural relations of the two countries and of course from both sides we said and agreed that these relations should be strengthened and will be strengthened.
We exchanged very positive views, we anticipate that in the very near future we will already have a series of events both in the field of cultural heritage and contemporary culture.
But today we are here, I am here especially for this show. This Shakespeare masterpiece which is one of the most important love stories in the world, but in the context of a drama. It is a work that shows how dead-end relationships can be, most of the time, old hostile relationships perpetuated, but also how all these negative feelings can be overcome and overcome with human contact. I really want to thank the initiators of this joint performance, from the Greek side Lefteris Yovanidis and from the Turkish side the general director of the State Theaters Mr. Tamer Karandagi and of course the actors from both sides who participate in the specific performances. Already, at least from what my colleagues have informed me, in Ankara, where this show was presented, it received extremely positive and favorable comments and reviews.
So we believe that it is a very good start to be able to further strengthen the cultural relations of the two peoples and we already have positive such cases, as for example, outside the official agenda of the two ministries, agencies of both Greece and Turkey have started to they have systematic cultural relations and exchanges.
I thank the minister once again. Dear Mehmet, I will be waiting for you in Athens in a few days where on May 16th the concert will be presented at the Music Hall. I am absolutely sure that here and in Greece the public will warmly embrace this comparative performance”.
For his part, the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that he had a productive meeting with the Greek minister, underlining that the universality of art has always been a common roof for humanity. “Art has hosted the most beautiful and meaningful associations. We also try to protect it, contribute and add value to it. I believe that this project will only be the beginning,” said the Turkish minister.
“We bring this work with an arrangement that our artists perform inspired by their own cultural and historical background. While the families in the play speak to each other in their native language, when they meet they will communicate in English, the only common language they know. This approach aims to explore universal emotions, delving into human nature through the interaction of different languages and cultures. Through this modern perspective and new interpretation of the work, we also bring together the deep-rooted cultural heritage of Turkey and Greece and symbolize the deepening of the cultural dialogue between the two countries”, pointed out Mr. Ersoy.
He reminded that the rehearsals of the project started on February 18 in Greece and that a total of 13 performances will be held in the two countries. It is also scheduled to participate in the 14th International Festival of State Theaters of Antalya, which will be held between May 17 and 27. It will also be staged in various cities in Turkey and Greece in the summer months and the coming theater season, while participating in important theater festivals in Europe.
“I would like to express that we will be happy to work in coordination and cooperation with the relevant agencies and organizations of Greece, in order to develop the cultural relations between Turkey and Greece and take them to a higher level,” said Mehmet Nouri, among others Ersoy.
At the end, the Turkish minister thanked his Greek counterpart Lina Mendonis, the director Lefteris Yovanidis, the artists of the Piraeus Municipal Theater and the State Theaters, as well as the whole team that worked behind the scenes.
On Friday morning, Lina Mendoni visited Prince Island, at whose pier the mayor of Princes’ Islands, Ercan Akpolat, gave her a warm welcome, followed by a visit to the town hall. Afterwards, the minister was welcomed to the Holy Metropolis of Principos by the Metropolitan of Principos, Mr. Dimitrios, and then visited the Prince’s Greek Orthodox Orphanage, a five-story imposing historical wooden building of the 19th century, the largest wooden building in Europe and today in need of immediate restoration to prevent it from collapsing completely.
The Minister of Culture is accompanied on her two-day visit by the Consul General of Greece in Istanbul, Ambassador Konstantinos Koutras.
Source: RES-MPE
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