Now that the celebrations are over, for the 49 years of the restoration of our Republic, we want to remind you, in our turn, of some "small" Theatrical Resistances, during the difficult years of the seven-year dictatorship. Because they "forgot" to mention it, until now, in most radio and television programs.
Maybe no one knows. Perhaps no one remembers them anymore, since they were "small", spontaneous, resistances and not some great sacrifices or great heroic acts and exiles. Perhaps, even, because they were done, without much publicity and "awards", post-politically.
Not only the play GOODNIGHT MARGARITA which was banned 2 times but also OUR BIG CIRCUS, DANGEROUS CARGO, OH..WHAT A WORLD DADDY, LACOS AND THE FABA, THE LUSITANIA ASMA, THE AUTOPSY, THE KEYCRATORS and THE ROSEMBERS who got to know very well the " We prohibit and order" the 7-year dictatorship.. And many more that no one has ever learned..
And another "small" theatrical resistance, of the great "Society for the Study of Greek Problems". They organized the anti-dictatorship speech-denouncement of the famous German writer Ginder Grass, despite all the bans.. Until they interrupted not only the speech but also closed the theater, dissolved the E.M.E.P. and exiled its founders, Yago Pesmazoglou, Virginia Tsouderou, Saki Peponi, Anna Synodinou and many others.
The Ithaca Festival was another "small" act of resistance in those dark years. His first event was dedicated to the modern Greek work and had in its program all the resistance works of the time. ("Good night Margarita", "Our Great Circus", "Ali Renzo", "And you comb your hair", "The Undressed")... They banned them all. And the Festival didn't happen. The then Mayor of Ithaki, Spyros Arsenis, preferred not to carry out, rather than to replace those projects.
And then the "Union of Greek Actors". After a 2-hour, exhaustive interrogation by the General Security, of the President and the General Secretary of S.E.H., they announced that they consider it "anti-national", they are closing it, handing over its offices to the new "NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ACTORS" and deleting their names from the 1967 Dictionary of Th. Kritas.
It's a pity that we never learned about all those who sent us revealing news, during the 7 years of dictatorship, with incredible tricks, to us, the then self-exiled people in London. As a result, all of Europe is responsibly informed about the junta of our country. Like the "Letter from Prison" (Georgou Maggakis) read by the great actor Laurence Olivier, in 1972, at the anti-dictatorship event we organized at the OLD VIC theater in London.
The decision to delete the neo-hunt "National Union of Greek Actors" from the Federation of European Theater Societies is also due to them.
The wise WORD of Nikos Kazantzakis and Evangelos Papanoutsos who
inspired, then, all our actions, let it inspire now all our WORRIED young people..
"….Half works, half talks, half sins, half kindnesses have brought the world to its current mess. Reach, child of man, to the end, burden and do not be afraid! God hates the half-devil more than the arch-devil..."
“[… Amidst the reproach and shame of these sufferings for our Nation these days, one feels the need to ask our Politicians the question:
So as you politicize, do you really become teachers of virtue? What have you taught us, not by what you say but by what you do? The pride of the free Democratic citizen? Respect for the moral principles and laws of the state? What will you answer? Could it be that THIS Policy has nothing to do with Ethics?"
