A show based on Aristophanes’ classic creation, in free-form and directed by G. Paraskevopoulos, will be presented within the frame of the“Thessaloniki 316 B.C. -2014 A.D – A crossroads in space and time” exhibition. The idea came from PASOK EU Parliament Member Ch. Paliadelis and realized by the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

The legend of Lysistrata is depicted through the lives of four women, who are prepared to take over Parliament and demand that any kind of war stops. The aim of the show is to give the show a global  spectrum, and connect it with modern times, as well as remind that the element of “protest” does not oppose any form of government or power, but contributes to the awakening of the need for participation in common issues.

The play:
Within the heart of the Peloponnesian war, in 411 B.C., Aristophanes invents Lysistrata. The heroine of the play gathers women from all around the country to suggest a way o ut of the war. Her plan, aimed at ultimately achieving peace is characterized by duality. On one hand, there is sexual abstinence. On the other hand, the seizing of the Treasury. Within this framework, the comedic and political dimensions of the play are unraveled. Lysistrata, as an idealist, in Aristophanes’ play ultimately manages to achieve her dream. Thanks to her “shining and fragile” plan, the end of the play is marked with reconciliation as the grand victor. Who does Lysistrata converse with, though, if the scene is set in the central seat of Europe? What is her goal within the heart of parliament? The women she calls upon could be the representatives of  Mediterranean countries hurt by the fiscal crisis. The peace to be imposed could be the awakening of their collective conscience. And war? Is it the thing that hangs above our heads as a constant fear?

Contributors
Sets and Costumes by S. Papadopoulou.
Lysistrata: G. Balaoura
Also starring: L. Vasileiou, I. Payiataki, M. Vlahou.