The term "applied drama" or "applied theatre" includes many forms of the theatre’s “social outreach.” In other words, applied theatre is actively engaged in social life: drama therapy, psychodrama, teacher-in-role, playback theatre (in Thessaloniki there are excellent groups specializing in this wonderful improvisational theatre form), sociadrama, drama in education (Drama in Education) and theatre in education (Theatre in Education) — with entirely different techniques and goals — drama in healthcare settings (literally, not metaphorically), activist theatre, theatre in prisons, Augusto Boal’s "political therapy" theatre (or Theatre of the Oppressed), and, finally, agitprop theatre.

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As you can understand, such socio-political applications of theatre often present "aesthetic weaknesses," since the theatrical aspect is sacrificed in favor of achieving a given social goal. Most of these projects are usually based on designs and frameworks created by facilitators (rather than on written scripts), from which improvisational scenes of "devised theatre" emerge.

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In Thessaloniki, I have attended several examples of applied theatre and must say that not all of them are overly formulaic — meaning, sterile and repetitive. Instead, significant attention is often given to the artistic form of the performance. A similar balance between social engagement and aesthetics was evident in the production Sleeping Beauty by the group Hippo, presented at Vis Motrix theatre.

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Theatre educator Kalliopi Fykari, in her adaptation of Sleeping Beauty, composed rhymed, metrical verses (mainly six-syllable, seven-syllable, eight-syllable, and other unevenly syllabic lines) with scattered tonality, which prevents monotonous delivery of the text.

In terms of content, the adapter narrates the fairy tale in a linear way, while weaving in a structured pedagogical intent. This intent is not the result of instinctive or random choices but is based on the techniques and tools of educational drama (for the most authoritative Greek publication on educational drama, see Avra Avdi and Melina Chatzi Georgiou’s The Art of Drama in Education: 48 Workshop Proposals for Theatre Education, Athens: Metaixmio, 2007).

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After the main horizontal narrative, a short educational drama session follows, where playful techniques are used to involve the audience — both children and adults.

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Reflecting on all this reminded me of Xenia Kalogeropoulou’s play The Sleeping Beauty Woke Up, where she combined different versions of the fairy tale, including those of Giambattista Basile, Charles Perrault, and the Brothers Grimm. Kalogeropoulou’s Sleeping Beauty woke up in a world of overprotected children, and the play was constructed as an “adventure in growing up.” Similarly, Kalliopi Fykari’s Sleeping Beauty is introduced as a coming-of-age story — a journey of self-awareness and a search for identity, embodied in the adolescent heroine, Soultana (the Sleeping Beauty).

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THE PERFORMANCE

The well-structured and tightly-knit direction (by Hippo, that is, Alexis Raptis and Fotis Dousos) relies solidly on techniques of physical theatre. The transformations of the two actors take place right before the audience’s eyes, in a “natural” theatrical process.

The multiplicity of locations is indicated without using realistic simulation effects (thus avoiding the oversaturation from endless video projections aiming at obsessive realism) — instead, it is conveyed through simple symbolic means. The stage objects and costumes (by Katerina Chatzopoulou) are minimal and “readable,” functioning symbolically rather than creating an illusion of reality.

Among the theatrical devices, I particularly admired the exquisite mask of Duchess Amalia, crafted by Martha Foka (I remind you that she also created equally stunning masks for Kakalas’ productions of Golfo and Erofili).

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Movement (choreographed by Hippo and Haris Pechlivanidis) is the key to the success of this production, unifying all its elements.

Finally, the two actors — Valentina Kanta and Giorgos Sofikitis — generously served the demanding forms of the direction, embodying a multitude of characters. Giorgos Sofikitis was an excellent performer, and Valentina Kanta proved herself a highly capable actress and an intelligent manager of her expressive tools.

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A FEW RESERVATIONS

First, I disagree with some of the vocabulary choices borrowed from adult slang (for example, "beer cans" — byronia).

Second, I believe the post-performance educational drama session could have been longer. Also, the design should have included a reflective action (reflection session) to help the audience achieve an empathic understanding of the play’s main theme (according to the press release: “The theme of the play is personal freedom and its limits”).

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Finally, the musical/singing parts needed more development and polish.

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Nevertheless, Sleeping Beauty by Hippo is an honest and noteworthy production in the chaotic landscape of children’s theatre in Thessaloniki.