Onassis Stegi at the 23rd Sirenos festival in Vilnius, Lithuania
Three Onassis Stegi productions travel to Lithuania to represent contemporary Greek theater in the Greek Focus part of Sirenos, Vilnius International Theatre Festival: “MAMI” by Mario Banushi, “IT’S THE END OF THE AMUSEMENT PHASE” by Chara Kotsali, and “The House” by Dimitris Karantzas.
Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
MAMI | Mario Banushi
This year, Vilnius turns its focus towards Greece. From October 2 to 8, Sirenos, one of the Baltic region’s most vibrant theater festivals, dedicates the international part of its program to the contemporary Greek performing arts scene. As part of this year’s Greek Focus, Onassis Stegi presents three productions that speak directly to our present moment: “MAMI” by Mario Banushi, “IT’S THE END OF THE AMUSEMENT PHASE” by Chara Kotsali, and “The House” by Dimitris Karantzas.
At a time when war, uncertainty, and the relentless flow of news have become part of everyday life, this year’s edition focuses on the word ‘apocalypse,’ coming from the Greek ‘αποκάλυψις’ and its dual meaning: both a landscape of utter collapse and destruction and a ‘lifting of the veil,’ a ‘revelation,’ or a ‘disclosure’; a call to bring to light what remains hidden, repressed, or unspoken.
Against this backdrop, Onassis Stegi’s three productions invite audiences to view theater not as an escape from the world, but as a space where the world can be revealed in a different light: three theatrical universes, three distinct ways of addressing escape, memory, violence, history, family, the body, and the reality that always finds its way back.
Kristė Agota Savė, Artistic Director of Sirenos, notes: “It is with great joy that we take the task to introduce the Lithuanian audience to representatives of the young generation of Greek artists, who in their work openly show their disappointment with the world, their anger and sadness; yet at the same time, we also see in them what is known in Greek culture as ‘kéfi’—an emotional state signifying complete relaxation and a passion for living in the here and now.”
Photo: Pinelopi Gerasimou
IT'S THE END OF THE AMUSEMENT PHASE | Chara Kotsali
“What role does theater play today in a world where the headlines on daily news sites seem more dramatic than ancient tragedies?”
- October 2 & 3, 2026
“MAMI” by Mario Banushi
Main Stage, Lithuanian National Drama Theatre
Winner of the Silver Lion at the 54th Venice Biennale International Theater Festival, Mario Banushi returns to the relationship between mother and child, creating an unholy shrine filled with vows, curses, memory, and love. A hymn dedicated to all the women who raised us.
Having already been performed at major theaters and festivals worldwide, including the Festival d’Avignon, Odéon—Théâtre de l’Europe in Paris, FOG Festival in Milan, Teatros del Canal in Madrid, and Under the Radar Festival in New York, “MAMI” continues its international tour, with upcoming stops at Théâtre des Salins in Martigues, France, the Svjetskog Kazališta Festival, Berliner Festspiele, and Festspiele Ludwigshafen.
- October 5, 2026
“IT'S THE END OF THE AMUSEMENT PHASE” by Chara Kotsali
Black Hall of Arts Printing House
Shortlisted for the prestigious Bloom Prize at the 2027 Rose International Dance Prize, Chara Kotsali once again confronts history. Three dancers engage in a dialogue on stage with a past unfolding before us and a future we have left behind. A choreography exploring the ambivalent relationship between the individual and the collective body.
The project has already made a dynamic impact across Europe, with appearances at festivals such as ImPulsTanz in Vienna, Tanz im August in Berlin, Julidans in Amsterdam, and RomaEuropa in Rome, while its next stops for 2027 are Sadler’s Wells in London and tanzhaus nrw in Düsseldorf.
- October 8, 2026
“The House” by Dimitris Karantzas
Black Hall of Arts Printing House
In his first ‘adult’ play as a writer, the acclaimed Greek director—renowned across Europe—creates a theatrical time bomb. A performance-parable about violence, our addiction to images, and the dismantling of illusions—or, in other words, about reality, which, no matter how hard we try to avoid it, will sooner or later catch up with us.
Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
Onassis Stegi’s participation in Sirenos further affirms its consistent presence at major international festivals spotlighting the Greek performing arts scene. Key milestones include the Festival Pays de Danses in Liège and the International Nicosia Festival in 2022, where works by Euripides Laskaridis, Alexandros Vardaxoglou & Dafin Antoniadou, Ioannis Mantafounis, Venetsiana Kalampaliki, Manolis Saridakis, Ilias Hatzigeorgiou, and Alexandros Stavropoulos.
This momentum continued in 2024 with Greek ‘focus’ programs at Brandhaarden Festival in Amsterdam and Operaestate Festival Veneto in Bassano del Grappa. There, Onassis Stegi presented works by Vasilis Vilaras, Dimitris Karantzas, Giannis Aggelakas & Christos Papadopoulos, Anestis Aza & Prodromos Tsinikoris, Ioanna Paraskevopoulou, Chara Kotsali, and Elena Antoniou.
Supported by the Onassis Stegi Touring Program, Onassis Stegi’s productions travel across the globe, strengthening the international presence of Greek artists in theater, dance, music, visual arts, and performance art. Since 2011, more than 100 Onassis Stegi productions and co-productions have toured internationally, giving over 1,100 performances in 60 countries and 220 cities. Through its international presence, Onassis Stegi forges lasting connections, builds artistic networks, and places the contemporary Greek performing arts scene in an ongoing dialogue with the world.
