by Anton Chekhov

Dionysos Theatre

«When people have no real life, they have to live on illusions. It’s better than nothing, anyway.»

A classic masterpiece of Russian drama and a universal property of the world's literary heritage, Chekhov's Uncle Vanya is a stirring portrayal of human destiny – beyond time and space – that cancels all geographical and cultural limitations. Directed by Avra ​​Sidiropoulou, Dionysos Theatre’s production –reintroducing the play to the Cypriot audience after twenty-five years—brings Vanya closer to today than ever, revealing with humor and tenderness an "anti-hero of our time".

Uncle Vanya mixes the past with the present and the future of audiences and theatrical traditions, blending the comedic with the dramatic element, and sending a prophetic message for the protection of the natural environment. Created by a group of exceptional artists, this innovative production builds a multisensory performance environment, in which the limits we ourselves set for ourselves, our desires and frailties merge into a pendulum of existential struggle.

For Chekhov, there are no great heroes or startline external events. The purpose of art is the depiction of unconditional truth and its pursuit. In an era of extreme violence, cynicism and despair, in a small society where hypocrisy still defines people's actions and the identity of public life, the production of Uncle Vanya offers us a refuge of humanity and a deeply ecological vision of life.

Identity of Production:

Translation: Chryssa Prokopaki
Direction: Avra Sidiropoulou
Set/Costumes: Mariza Barzilly
Lighting: Aleksandar Jotovic
Musical Composition: Vanyas Apergis
Video Art: Artemis Tzavra-Bulloch
Assistant Director: Maria Hadjistylli
Research Assistant: Maria Pishiili
Cast (in order of appearance): Patricia Pettemeridou, Simos Tsiakkas, Vassilis Michail, Manolis Michailides, George Anagiotos, Myrsine Christodoulou, Elena Demetriou, Elena Christophi.
Artistic Director Dionysos Theatre: Christos Yiangou

Review

Dr. Dionysos Alexiou: Executive Director - Foundation for Parliamentarism and Participatory Democracy ·Parliament of Cyprus

«Sidiropoulou's Uncle Vanya: a directorial 'still life' in the Flemish tradition»

Sidiropoulou's reimagining of Chekhov’s work is an emotional immersion, where fragility meets fascination and darkness meets profound sentiment. The production is structured in an impressionistic color ballet, which has an emerging charm, avoiding bright colors, but utilizing pastel directorial shades, removed from anything intense and visually intimidating. The directorial approach is a game between light and darkness, where the light highlights the materiality of the objects, and the darkness hermetically absorbs the psychology of the protagonists, in an endless cycle of emerging futility.

The ephemeral experience of beauty, in the form of unfulfilled love, is reflected in instantaneous directorial choices, through projections and retreats of a synthetic dynamism. The work is full of symbolism and iconographic references encouraging the viewer to reflect on the stage objects and the actors, and triggering reflections on the importance of life experience. Ultimately, the performance of Uncle Vanya becomes an ode to the emptiness of egotism.