An Interview and a Manifesto from HIPPO
By Fotini Vardaka
Link (21-03-2017):
We met somewhere between Athens, Thessaloniki, Europe, and wherever the Greek diaspora is! That is, online — because when you talk to the Hippo group, you never really know where their feet are touching the ground. We decided to talk about children’s theatre — what else? — and delve into their unique theatrical style, a branch of physical theatre that they themselves call kinemo. Recently, they even “released” a manifesto — the principles that define kinemo, to which they adhere with almost religious devotion in every performance they present. We are speaking with Alexis Raptis and Fotis Dousos of the Hippo Theatre Group.
Alexis and Fotis, welcome to elniplex! Two guys from Thessaloniki who are also active in the capital! Are we likely to see you permanently in Athens?
We started the group with tentative steps in Thessaloniki. But we've never liked being static. As you know, we’ve performed in many parts of the world (America, Europe, Australia), and within Greece in very remote locations where the audience had little or no prior theatrical experience (Oinousses, Zoniana, Lemnos, etc.). We moved to Athens two years ago: last year we were at Alkmini Theatre with Futouria, and this year we are at Theatre 104 with Sleeping Beauty². We are interested in having a stable presence in Athens going forward — and that’s now a reality. At the same time, we’ll continue to present our productions in Thessaloniki and to the Greek diaspora.
At Theatre 104, since the beginning of the year — with two extensions — you’ve been presenting Sleeping Beauty, a show that, with its energy, humor, music, and interactivity, keeps both children and adults engaged until the end. What’s the secret to its success?
It’s certainly a successful combination of many factors. Exceptionally talented actors [Giorgos Sofikitis, Valentina Kanta (first cast), and Anthi Founta (second cast)], a wonderful script (Kalliopi Fykari), imaginative set design (Katerina Chatzopoulou), amazing masks (Martha Foka), solid direction, carefully crafted music, and other fine elements. Most importantly, it’s the magical way all these elements come together. There’s no fixed recipe for success. In theatre, the balance is incredibly fragile. Good collaboration, communication, soul, and sometimes even a bit of luck are all needed!
Let’s focus a bit on the script — it’s particularly appealing to both young children and adults, as it includes references to contemporary issues, making a classic story more relatable to modern experiences. Tell us a few words about the writer and your goals when you “commission” someone to write a script.
The playwright is Kalliopi Fykari, a long-standing and invaluable collaborator of Hippo. However, we don’t operate with a "commissioning" mindset. We are persistent with the writers we work with and engage in thorough dramaturgical editing for several months before the first rehearsal. Regarding Sleeping Beauty², our writer delivered a rich, multi-layered text that highlighted many current issues. It immediately captured our interest and sparked our creativity. Very quickly, we had ideas for how to bring it to life on stage.
Beyond the script, what other elements do you particularly emphasize when building a production from scratch?
For us, the body plays a crucial role. It’s the main tool through which our stage imagination unfolds in each of our productions. Physical expression is more closely connected to the ritualistic and archetypal roots of theatre, and it can liberate theatre from the bourgeois mindset with which some audiences and creators associate it today. So, when we develop a performance, we primarily focus on casting actors and working with their bodies and voices. The performance gradually takes shape through the synergy of the team, their creative drive, flashes of inspiration, and the hidden pathways that artistic intuition opens when it’s energized and in harmony.
How do you choose the topic of a performance?
We choose based on what reflects our current artistic needs, while also considering the urgent pedagogical issues of our time. We believe that the theatre we create is inextricably linked to reality — to its demands, the problems it poses for modern humanity, and the potential to transcend them.
You’ve written a theatrical manifesto containing 10 rules. Would you like to share it with us?
The kind of theatre we do we’ve named kinemo, which we see as a branch of physical theatre. The term kinemo comes from the words kinesthetic and emotional, reflecting our philosophy of theatrical art. The “manifesto” was written during a moment of cerebral euphoria when our research into physical theatre led us to consolidate and articulate certain guiding principles. It’s nothing more than some crystallized thoughts on theatre in general, expressed in the following 10 rules:
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Kinemo = kinesthetic & emotional. Kinemo theatre is also called high-energy theatre. Its core features are movement, the body, and emotion.
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The most important element in kinemo theatre is the actor.
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The actor is a tool.
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The actor’s body is sacred.
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Kinemo theatre is a non-realistic space. There are no traditional sets. We use only masks, costumes, and stage objects.
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Speech is as important as the body. But it may be absent. The body cannot be absent.
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The actor must perform with a spirit of self-sacrifice. They must give even their last reserves of emotional energy to defend their role.
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Offering, exhaustion, and redemption — these are the three stages of the actor’s internal energy escalation.
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Intuitive communication between actors, the director, and the audience is essential.
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Director-actor relationship: The director thinks, and the actor acts — without verbal communication in between.
Does the audience follow your manifesto?
The audience sees the result of these theoretical rules — which essentially exist to help us and remind us of our aesthetic and ideological commitments. In general, of course, rules are made to be broken...
How many more performances will audiences be able to catch at Theatre 104?
The performances will end on Sunday, March 26.
Let’s close with your plans for the rest of the year! Have you planned anything exciting?
Absolutely! The journey of Sleeping Beauty² doesn’t end at Theatre 104. The production will immediately go on tour to Greek schools in Central Europe, and naturally, in the summer, it will tour open-air theatres throughout Greece. Our other productions and educational programs will continue in Greece until mid-May, while a new experimental project is already underway for late May. The adventure of theatre is exciting in itself — even more so when enriched with international tours, interesting collaborations, experimental projects, and both real and imaginary travels.
Alexis and Fotis, we wish you every success with your plans!
