The Blind, Festival of Athens and Epidaurus
Maeterlinck's one-act play, The Blind (1891) is a fatalistic play centred around a dozen blind men, being led through the woods. Suddenly, they lose their guide and wonder where he might be gone. The blind filling the terrifying void with fractious argument and speculation, they suddenly stumble across the corpse of their protective pastor. The play lacks of actions and ‘waiting’ becomes inherently dramatic.
We worked in a 1400 sqm post industrial space for the Festival of Athens and Epidaurus, it was key to retain its character. The team decided that the live audience would symbolise the forest. The blinds would wonder through the 800 people audience. The play was developed on a non-space-atopos, reflecting the endless waiting and hopelessness.
A black, empty, still environment. We have been using only existing venue components, such as platforms, lights, stage doors and back stage equipment, which rarely appear in final sets. Hints of colours and liveness appear almost as islands in a black ocean. The Blind bring a green young tree along, they carry the forest with them. Some wild flowers from the fields are situated on the edges of the ramp, the piano on the stage embodies the piano player behind the audience. Further a sound pole becomes a symbol of the unknown. A sparse collection of colourful toys and chairs bring some pools of warmth and domesticity.
Project Data
Year 2015
Location Greece
Type Culture
Director Zoe Chantziantoniou, Dimitris Kamarotos
Set designer Elina Loukou
Lighting designer Lefteris Pavlopoulos
Costume designer Eleni Manolopoulou
Video Olga Brouma
Production Athens and Epidaurus Festival
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