On a stifling summer evening in the Greek capital of Athens, actors take to a stage like no other: a grassy courtyard enclosed by towering prison walls, topped with barbed wire and lit by a floodlight. The performers are inmates, as are the audience that observe them.

Athens

Actors Behind Bars Find Respite in Greek Prison Theater

Within the walls of a maximum-security prison in Athens, inmates have found an unusual outlet for creativity and solace: theater. Both the performers and the audience are prisoners, engaging in a rendition of the ancient Greek tragedy "Antigone." The play, which explores themes of free will, disobedience, and authority, resonates deeply with the incarcerated individuals.

The role of Creon, the antagonist who enforces harsh laws, is played by Konstantinos Boudiotis. He describes the theatrical experience as an escape from the confines of prison life, offering a rare opportunity to think differently and engage in a mentally stimulating activity. The theater workshop at Korydalos Prison aims to alleviate the monotonous and often harsh routine of daily prison life.

Directed by Ekaterina Papageorgiou, the play was chosen for its thematic relevance to the prisoners' circumstances, emphasizing justice and legality. Since its inception in 2016, the workshop has seen participation from around 250 inmates and has performed for an audience of more than 1,800 fellow prisoners. Notably, one former inmate even returned post-release to participate in the performance, highlighting the profound impact of the program.

Papageorgiou expressed that guiding the prisoners through this difficult period in their lives has been a source of optimism and hope. She believes that the experience offers a form of redemption and demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit.



In a Greek jail, inmates find freedom in theater

Within the barbed wire topped walls of this Greek prison, actors take to the stage. Unlike most other shows, both the performers and the audience here are inmates at a maximum security jail in Athens. The play is the ancient Greek tragedy of Antigone. It's a story about free will, disobedience and authority, themes to which the prisoners can relate. The most political of Sophocles' work, it sees the protagonist disobey her uncle and the play's antagonist, King Creon, to bury her brother, all while grappling with life's written and unwritten rules. Konstantinos Boudiotis plays Creon. You escape. You come out of the prison ward and you talk about other things. You see another scene. You think differently and you forget that you are in prison. You stop being in all this misery where you see only fences and walls and where your time does not pass creatively. The theatre workshop at Korydalos Prison, a sprawling complex in an impoverished part of the capital, offers respite from the mundane, gruelling routine of daily prison life and from the inmates' cramped, rowdy cells. Two dozen men, aged between 24 and 63, had been practising for their performance for months. Around 250 inmates have taken part in the prison's workshop since it launched in 2016 and more than 1,800 have watched the shows. One man even came back to take part in the performance despite having been recently released. The play's director, Ekaterina Papageorgiou, wanted to create something those incarcerated would find relatable. The work was chosen on the principle that it would have a direct thematic interest with the conditions here, with confinement. The gist of the play is about laws and unwritten laws, in other words, justice, law and legality. She added that directing the group through the toughest period of their life was a source of optimism for them. It's very hopeful for humankind, for its strength, she said, and for redemption.

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