Εβδομάδα Είναι … Και Κυλάει

Autumn has hit Sydney and it’s when our local theatrical talents seem to come out from their summer vacation ready to warm our inner need for cultural events. We have been very fortunate on our 2MM radio show “Evdomada Einai Kai Kylaei” to have hosted promoters, writers and actors of the upcoming shows and find out more about their upcoming stage productions.

We had Alex Lykos returning with his Bulldog Theatre’s home-grown story, a sequel to his popular Alex & Eve titled “Alex & Eve: The Wedding”.  The Christian Greek boy and the Muslim Lebanese girl take their first love encounter to the next step and we are all eager to see how the two families will handle the usual cultural and religious struggles that we are all so well aware of in our multicultural society.

We also had the pleasure to have the Take Away Theatre visit our studio to discuss their tribute show for their 20 year anniversary. They are gearing up for their theatrical presentation “The Show must go on” that will relive some of the stories that have been told during this period.  Take Away Theatre boasts 20 years of home-grown talent from its writers and actors. In fact for this 20 year tribute they have managed to lure both Ada Nicodemou and Barbara Gouskos to a part of the production.  They are two Greek Australian actors that have had extensive experience in Australian television as well as theatre, and what an opportunity we have to see them up close in our local theatres.

As much as there is passion and enthusiasm from both the Bulldog Theatre and the Take Away Theatre, during our radio interview discussions it was very easy to quickly sense the need for the community to reciprocate the same emotions to the writers, actors and promoters of local theatre productions.  The response by the public although heart warming and ever present, it seems that it can be better. A whole lot better. And I mean the number of us that make an effort to turn up and watch Greek Australian theatre productions.

We were all wondering during our interview with the Take Away Theatre team and Fotis Zervas from Muse Events, why our second and third generation Greek Australian youth seem to be able to justify a $200 or so outing for a Greek singer but don’t seem to share the same fervour for our own local Greek cultural events. I won’t be a hypocrite and say that I don’t enjoy the opportunity of seeing a Greek singing artist down under but I am also a supporter of our local events. A Greek Australian theatrical event is a much less expensive event for us and it’s also in most cases a very rewarding experience.

Let’s be clear here that the issue at hand isn’t about promoting the point that theatre is a cheaper form of entertainment but about our involvement as a Greek Australian community in supporting home-grown talent and at the same time maintaining our cultural Hellenistic values.

How many times have we heard that we are “losing” our Hellenism?  We hear from our parents, relatives and friends how we are all losing our identity as Greeks and our children’s children will recall that somewhere in their family tree they have some “Greek” in them.

We are already seeing our “disappearance” being written as we speak.  The University of New South Wales is potentially closing down its Modern Greek department. Students that were previously able to select Modern Greek as a subject will lose that opportunity unless they elect to take on this subject through Sydney University.  There were also students at UNSW that were completing Greek as an Honours degree that now lose this opportunity at one of Sydney’s elite universities.  Could this be due to our apathy for our Hellenic cultural background?

The ties for me between participation and involvement in our Hellenic cultural events in the Diaspora and the survival of any element of Hellenism are intertwined. We cannot expect others to carry the baton for us as bystanders hoping that others will turn up to Greek theatre so that it can continue on.

So next time you are wondering about whether “we” are doing our best to preserve Hellenism in Australia, think about your personal involvement in the local Greek Australian events.

Take Away Theatre’s “The Show Must Go On” commences on May 13th through to the 17th with 6 performances at the Sidetrack Theatre.  Visit their website www.takeawaytheatre.com.au for more information on times and prices.

Alex & Eve: The Wedding commences on May 21st and runs until May 31st with performances on Thursday to Sunday for the 2 weeks at The Factory.  Visit www.bulldogtheatre.com for more information on their times and prices.

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