Holy Trinity Greek School Hosts a Presentation of Euripides' TROADES - TROJAN WOMEN, 10/18

The Holy Trinity Greek School will host a Greek theatrical group's presentation of Euripides Greek tragedy, "Troades -Trojan Women," a play that honors Greek civilization and the genre of ancient tragedy.

 The play will be in English, and it is a way of "giving back to our greater community of Charlotte."

The one-night-only performance is on Sunday, October 18 at 6:30pm.  Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for students/teachers. You can purchase them at http://www.troades.org or by calling (704) 334-4771 or (704) 231-2625.

Director Leonidas Loizides is a critically acclaimed theatre and film director, a Cypriot by birth. He was awarded by the state of New York and the American Congress during the world tour of "Bacchae" in 2008 for promoting ancient tragedy worldwide.
He attended New York University, at Tisch School of the Arts, earning a degree in Film Directing. At the same time, his artistic quest led him to Sonia Moore's School of acting, teaching and directing, getting immersed in Stanislavski's earth-shaking theatre, film and acting techniques.

Upon finishing, he returned to Greece where he launched on an acting career, participating in productions with great actors, directors and producers. This became the fertile ground for his talent to spring forth and thus receive rave reviews and significant awards for a period of time. He cut his acting career short because the real passion in his life, directing theatre and films, became his ‘calling'. In this, he was highly encouraged by actors, directors, producers and critics with ‘heavy' names in the Greek Theatre.

In Athens, he worked in famous theatres and staged a series of demanding plays which carried his personal touch, ranging from ancient tragedy to the contemporary scene.  Since 2008 he is promoting ancient tragedy with his theatrical group, touring the world and offering a great chance to international audience of witnessing performances of high artistic standards.

Mikis Theodorakis (music) of Cretan descent was born in Chios Greece.  From 1954 to 1960 he worked in Paris and London composing symphonic music, ballet and film music. In 1960 he places himself as leader of the regenerative cultural-political movement in Greece centered on the union of poetry and music.

This brings him often at the center of political life, climaxing with his active participation in the resistance movement against the military dictatorship (1967-74).  The first period of his musical creation (1940-53) includes songs, oratorios, chamber music, ballets and symphonic works, the First Sympony being his most significant work.

The second period, the Paris period (1954-59), includes chamber music, ballets and symphonic works, the major work being the ballet Antigone commissioned by Covent Garden in 1959.
The third period, 1960-1980, is devoted to the popular music. Outstanding works produced are the oratorios Axion Esti and Canto General.

There follows the fourth period, 1981 to 1988, during which, while composing song-cycles, he returns to the symphonic music. Most significant works written are the Third Symphony, the Seventh Symphony, his first opera Kostas Kariotakis (The Metamorphoses of Dionysus) and the Zorbas ballet.

Finally, during the fifth period (1989 to date), he composes three operas (lyric tragedies) Medea, Electra and Antigone. This trilogy is complemented by his new Opera Lysistrata. With these works Theodorakis ushers in the period of the Lyrical Life, that is, his complete turn to lyricism and perfection of the lyrical musical expression within the total range of his musical achievement.

Michael Kakoyannis (translation) studied law and drama in London where he began his career in acting but soon realized he wanted to direct films. In 1953 he returns to Greece and directs some of the best films in Greek Cinema History.

Kakoyannis is the first filmmaker that allowed Greek cinema escape its narrow boarders and be exposed to the international public. His work has been awarded with numerous international Prizes and he has collaborated with many international production companies. He also made some interesting adaptations from Ancient Greek Tragedies to film.

In 1964 he directed "Alexis Zorbas," based on the homonym book by Nikos Kazantzakis, released internationally with the title "Zorba the Greek" with enormous success making Greece known everywhere in the world. The film wins many Awards and three Oscars.

In 1974 he makes the documentary "Attilas 1974", a shocking documentary about the events that took place during the Turkish invasion in Cyprus.  Kakoyannis is amongst the artists that made Greece and its Cinema known around the world.