The Greek Cultural Center in New York opens this year’s season with Lysistrata by Aristophanes (October 31st, 2008, at 8 pm until December 14th, 2008), an all times masterpiece with special pertinence to our turbulent times.

Under the leadership of Lysistrata, the women of Athens take action to stop the war on two levels: they go on sex strike, leaving their husbands unsatisfied, and secondly they occupy the Acropolis, blocking the men’s access to the treasury and thus withholding the necessary funds for the war. The plan works, as the women from the Peloponnesian alliance, under the guidance of Lampito, have also joined in the strike. This leaves both Athenians and Spartans frustrated and desperately seeking peace. The play ends with the successive resolution of both the sex strike and the occupation of the treasury. The men are admitted into the Acropolis, a highly symbolic coup de theatre, which foreshadows their impending reunion with their wives. Representatives of rival cities from all over Greece share in a feast of reconciliation cutting across both political and gender boundaries.

This production, in the intimate but versatile space of the Greek Cultural Center, will be performed by an ensemble of five men and five women, sharing all the roles, including the chorus. In alphabetical order Yiannis Amouris, Larisa Antypa, Antonis Armeftis, Georgia Giannakouris, Tereza Grimani, Alexandros Malaos, Diodoros Pagoudis, Louiza Papazaharia, Anastasios Samaras. It is a staging with emphasis on theatricality, collaboration and group work which will explore the theme of gender stereotypes, whose subversion can lead to a more harmonious society and a more successful political life. The setting will be contemporary, with echoes from the 60s and 70s, the decades that saw the flourishing of the women’s movement as well as the civil rights movement. In those years young people united all over the world fought against unjust war and civil inequality.

This production is Directed by Magdalena Zira, Original Music by George Kolias, Choreography by Irina Constantine Poulos, Vocal Coach Christos Alexandrou, Set Designer Elisha Schaefer, Costume Designer Jennifer Rascopt and Lighting Designer Jason Teague.

The Greek Cultural Center is located at 27-18 Ηοyt Avenue South, Astoria, tel: (718) 726-7329.