London is known for its diverse population. But did you know there are approximately 300,000 Greek speakers in greater London? You might just be one of them!
If that’s the case - and your hobbies include the performing arts - why not take the opportunity to become a member of Greeks on Stage?
Kostas Mantzakos, 52, is one of the first to create and teach acting within the Greek-speaking theatre group. Prior to this his main job consisted of performing as he’s a self employed actor. “This was the result of all the Greeks that arrived in London after 2012. There were acting groups for Greeks then, but they were English-speaking. What happened next was entirely a coincidence,” he said.
“I’m a professional actor myself and I met a Greek girl who was in charge of one of the English-speaking groups. She talked about making a theatre group that was entirely Greek-speaking. She ended up leaving London, and I started the group with my best friend Alex Andreou, who’s also an actor.”
Located on Moscow Road in Bayswater, Greeks on Stage operates in the Greek Orthodox Church Agia Sofia. The group was founded in early 2017 with only nine members, and now in its fourth year of operation has over 500.
Its first performance took place in June,2018, a German production of a semi-staged reading of Woyzeck by Georg Buchner, with about 45 performers. A second took place in December 2019 - a semi-staged reading of a devised piece and a dramatisation of a 1920s Greek story titled My Friend V.H., with the scriptwritten by Kostas himself.
The third production was a production titled As the Ship Sails by Galateia Kazantzaki. It was staged by turning the stage into a large boat using chairs and other props. “The presentation was really quite magnificent. The only thing I would say is that it’s a shame people didn’t take rehearsals seriously enough,” said Kostas.
Due to the pandemic, a fourth scheduled production never made it on stage. Titled Victims of Covid, the black comedy genre was to feature an amazing 67 performers. “It’s a shame it never made it as I feel it was a good script and would bring laughter in a time like this”, said Kostas, who wrote the play with fellow playwright and of Greek origin Alex Andreou.
Creative classes
Due to current government regulations, classes have moved temporarily online via Zoom. Students are hopeful for the return of on-site attendance, in particular as the venue has a certain ambiance of its own.
The theatre has old-fashioned wooden furniture and two entry/exit points – great for social distancing – both of which sport Greek statues.
In October 2019, Greeks on Stage decided to split two groups: one for acting and one for script reading. Kostas wanted to produce ‘old-fashioned’ scripts to students in order to “challenge them in a way that they look into the ancient Greek community, for example the use of vocabulary”.
“The classes are very creative. I like the fact that they’re split into two...Because I feel like I gain a better understanding and skill of theatrical performance,” said Alexandros Sfakianakis, 29, a Greeks on Stage performer.
He added that he never considered joining a theatre group until he met Kostas at a beach bar whilst on holiday. “He said it’s an amazing group. So I thought, why not?”
Spyros Koutis, a teacher and relatively new student of Greeks on Stage said: “I really like them. They’re quite interactive for an online lesson and I want to say a big thank you to the professors!” Spyros joined the group just before the pandemic and he expressed he’s felt a little disheartened by this as he “didn’t get a chance to meet everyone in the group. A few times they would have a beer at the pub after lessons and I missed the chance to go, but hopefully things will go back to normal soon”.
One of the reasons both Alexandros and Spyros joined Greeks on Stage; (apart from the theatrical aspect) is the social gatherings that take place after lessons. It gives the opportunity for people to meet up and build connections. Syros said, “The main reason for joining was because I want to build confidence and I know acting lessons help towards this. I love the fact that the lessons are done in Greek as I don’t get much of a chance to speak allot my own language due to being in the UK for so many years”
Greeks on Stage is open to everyone, with a £30 monthly joining fee. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/GreeksOnStageLDN/.
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