“Comedy…antidote to decay” at the 3rd Ithaca Theater Festival Open Call for Artists & Theater Groups Ithaca, May 29, 2024 – In a time when we are bombarded by all kinds of violence, alienation, impasse and moral withering, comedy can be the antidote to decay.

So for the 3rd year this year from September 17 to 22, 2024, the “Theatrical Festival of Ithaca” will take place on the island of Ithaca based on the axes Artistic activity – Cultural production – Educational activity. The artistic direction of the festival is undertaken jointly by the actor and director Kostas Gakis and the theater scholar and director Athena Arseni.

The theme of the Ithaca Theater Festival 2024 will be entitled: “Comedy, antidote to decadence” with the aim of encouraging us with its playful and enthusiastic breath, to give us courage since with its fine tools it allows us to laugh even with our own sufferings, to open our emotional horizons, and finally with its great satirical power to make us think a little more about the bad texts of our society, to exercise fruitful and substantial criticism/self-criticism and why not, to discuss and to look for new bright ways out of contemporary social problems.

The Ithaca Theater Festival is divided into three parts: the first part is called “AVLAIA” and is the competition part of the Festival. the second part is called “STAGE” and includes long performances and the third part is called “BACKSCENE” and includes seminar courses in theater and performing arts.

The “AVLAIA” competition with a prize of 1,000 euros for the promotion of new artists “AVLAIA” is the competition part of the “Theatrical Festival of Ithaca”, which focuses on the promotion of new artists and original theatrical performances.

A central core in the competitive part of the “Ithaca Theatrical Festival” holds an epic of immense literary value at the world level as well as worth talking about modern Ithaca, the “Odyssey” by Homer.

The way in which we want the Odyssey to be connected with the “Ithaca Theater Festival 2024” concerns the universality of this epic-pillar in the formation of human societies.

The archetypal figures divine and human throughout time spark artistic inspiration and creation through the adventures of the central hero Odysseus so that he can reach our island of Ithaca, place of Loss and Return.

The competitive part of the “Ithaca Theatrical Festival” will last two of the six total days of the Festival and eight theatrical couples will participate in it, which will have been qualified and selected by the Jury.

The winning team will win the award for best theater production and the amount of €1,000, as a boost to their artistic work. In addition, two awards for male and female performance will be awarded. More information: The invitation is open and addressed to professional and amateur actors from all over Greece as well as to drama school students.

Teams wishing to enter the competition must create a two-minute video in which they act out an ancient Greek myth or fairy tale.

The teams should send the above link to the Festival email address [email protected] by Friday 28/06 at 11:59pm. youtube, wetransfer/google drive). The eight theater couples who will qualify for the final will compete in short theatrical performances, consisting of two people and inspired by the Odyssey. More at https://festivalithaki.gr/

Information about SCENE – BACKSCENE: In the second part, six professional theater troupes will present their work with long performances, which must be contemporary and staged by professional actors. The criteria for the selection of theatrical performances will have to do with the goal of the “Ithaca Theater Festival 2024”, which is the promotion of contemporary Greek drama, including the theater of invention, theatrical documentary, performance, stand up, improv and other new genres, through the support and promotion of Greek theater and young Greek artists. In the third part of the “Ithaca Theater Festival 2024”, theater educational seminars will be implemented by renowned artists, university professors and drama schools, open to the whole society and all ages. Through the theater seminars, the “Ithaca 2024 Theater Festival” simultaneously includes more members of the local community in its action and becomes a living bridge between the audience and the artists.

For the second and third part of the festival, interested artists – theater groups – companies can send an email to [email protected] until Friday 28/06 at 11:59 p.m. More at https://festivalithaki.gr/