Source (04 - 10 - 2019): https://cityportal.gr/hippo-xrwstame-eygnwmosynh-stoys-anhlikoys-theates-mas-synenteyksh-170192-5-2-0/

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What is The Island of Emotions like?

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Alex Raptis: The Island of Emotions is based on a story by Jorge Bucay. Bucay’s symbolic writing inspires us to create powerful metaphors. Earth is like a large island floating in the sea of the universe. On Earth live people with emotions. We could compare Earth to the island of emotions in the play. Without people, Earth would be a colorless planet—just as people would be without their emotions. By adapting Bucay’s story, we tried to convey its fairy-tale atmosphere and talk, as effectively as we could, about emotions and their significance for human beings in a creative and imaginative way.

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What makes this production different from your previous work?

 

Alex Raptis: First of all, its uniqueness lies in the subject matter itself: emotional intelligence. We used a story by Bucay to open a meaningful dialogue about emotions and their importance.

Another unique feature of this production is its structure. It has always been our policy to incorporate elements of Educational Drama into our performances. We usually do this at the end of the theatrical scene. Through the process of drama, children are led to a deeper and more complete theatrical and pedagogical experience.

In this particular work, we use more interactive educational activities than in others, and we integrate them into the performance as an essential part of it, not just at the end. This presents a challenge for the actors, who must maintain their rhythm and energy during the interactive segments, which interrupt their dramatic flow. On the other hand, it places the children at the heart of the entire theatre-educational experience from the very beginning of the play.

We made this choice to amplify the educational value of the performance and to help children enter the world of emotions we present, reflect on and creatively explore their own emotions, recognize and express them, and consider ways to manage them—contributing to the development of a more balanced and mature personality.

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Do you always work in the same way with your actors? Do your performances follow a specific style?

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Alex Raptis: During our rehearsals, we follow a specific working method based on the principles of kinemo. Kinemo is a personal theatrical style we have, in a way, "invented" over the years, and it is grounded in physical expression and energy. In our daily rehearsals, we try to communicate to our actors the core principles of our worldview: ritual and theatrical action, the sacredness of the body, positive energy, and acting as self-sacrifice and redemption.

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Our performances are guided by these principles. Our goal is to maintain children’s attention and engagement, infusing the theatrical action with humor, live music, and dramaturgical twists.

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What led you to focus on children's theatre, and what motivates you to keep going every day?

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Fotis Dousos: Children's theatre helped us understand many things about ourselves and our art. It drove us to travel, to experiment theatrically, to take risks, and to search for new modes of communication.

For us, it has been and continues to be both an apprenticeship and a profound life experience. We owe a great deal of gratitude to our young audiences, who have played a crucial role in shaping our artistic identity. We do our best to give back to them in every possible way!

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What other projects is Hippo currently working on?

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Fotis Dousos: This year we have three children’s productions: The Island of Emotions in Athens and Thessaloniki, The Adventures of Pav in Athens, and an ecological program based on the poem by Zacharias Papantoniou, Yannis and the Pine Tree.

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All of our programs can also be performed in remote areas of the countryside. When you’ve toured from Sydney to Los Angeles, distances within Greece seem short!

We are also writing the second volume of our book Kinemo, which records the findings from our long-standing research into physical theatre.

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If you could wish for something for the future of children's and youth theatre in Greece, what would it be? What do you think should change?

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Fotis Dousos: Many significant steps have been taken in recent years in the field of children’s theatre. First and foremost, it is no longer seen as a “lesser” art form by professionals in the field and is being treated with the seriousness it deserves.

We all share a great responsibility in children’s theatre, as we contribute to the aesthetic education of children who are tomorrow’s audiences—and tomorrow’s citizens. I hope this positive trajectory continues and that the themes explored in children’s theatre become even bolder and more daring.