1. Welcome to Sin Radio! Reading the impressive biography of your group, it’s clear that your work is not only entertaining but also educational. What led you to children's interactive theater, and how did you come up with the idea (and charming name) of your team?

We founded the HIPPO team in 2009, after completing a full cycle of involvement in other artistic fields like music, film, and writing. We decided to turn to children's theater because it offers tremendous room for experimentation and is highly demanding. We saw it as a challenge and approached it with great humility and respect. Over time, we realized that our style of theater resonated strongly with young audiences and educators alike, which encouraged us to continue.

From the beginning, our goal was to combine entertainment with education without falling into the trap of didacticism. Therefore, each of our performances includes a second part based on Drama in Education techniques, inviting children to actively engage with the story they just watched through theatrical activities, movement games, and improvisations.

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As for the name "Hippo," it stems from childhood memories. We wanted a light-hearted and playful name that would delight children and make adults smile — and it certainly seems to do both!

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2. Based on your experience with young audiences, how important is exposure to the arts, and especially theater, for a child’s development?

Exposure to art is an invaluable experience in anyone's life — even more so during childhood when a person’s character is still being shaped. The benefits are manifold and touch various aspects of development: social, emotional, psychological, and beyond. Creativity refines the human spirit and reconnects us with deeper layers of our being.

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3. Children are famously honest in their reactions. Does this make them a more "demanding" audience compared to adults? Also, how does the applause and the smiles of a child audience differ from those of adults?

Children are, without a doubt, the most demanding audience. Unlike adults, they aren't guided by "tact." When they’re bored, they won’t sit quietly out of politeness — they react, make noise, and protest. Thankfully, we haven't encountered such reactions during our performances — at least not so far!

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However, when they connect with a performance, children are incredibly generous and warm in their responses. Winning them over requires great attention, hard work, and large doses of physical and emotional energy. Kids may overlook minor technical flaws, but they are unforgiving of insincerity, cheapness, or ulterior motives in a performance.

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Whether the audience is young or adult, we believe that a performer must always invest every ounce of physical and emotional energy into their role. There’s no "easy way" to do theater.

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4. "Futouria" is a sci-fi fairy tale that touches on themes of freedom (of speech, expression, emotions, imagination) through physical theater and electronic music. How did you select this story, and what was the process like adapting the novella for the stage?

The idea for "Futouria" emerged from a desire to tell a story of internal awakening — exploring the boundaries of personal and social freedom. It is an adaptation of the novella Once and Then Upon a Time by our close collaborator, writer and educator Nikos Tsiotsos. Originally commissioned, the story quickly developed a life of its own.

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Tsiotsos’ novella presents a captivating futuristic tale filled with twists and intense emotions. Futouria is a city of the future that, through its imagined setting, reflects issues of the present. Using the future as a backdrop allows for critical projections on current societal problems.

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In our adaptation, we emphasized themes of personal freedom, self-expression, and self-determination within an environment of widespread repression. The process of adapting literature for the stage is thrilling — and all the more so with futuristic material!

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Stylistically, the show unfolds as a fast-paced comedy, featuring classic comedic codes such as gags, verbal humor, burlesque elements, and a lively rhythm. We chose comedy because it’s imaginative, dialectical, and allows for deeper messages to be conveyed in a delightful way.

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Children love anything connected to the future — literature, films, games — it sparks their imagination. Our aesthetic aims to present a futuristic world model, stimulating their creative thinking and captivating their minds.

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5. "Futouria" has toured across Greece, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, the USA, and Australia. Have you noticed differences in audience reactions depending on the country? What has been your favorite destination so far?

Despite performing for audiences from vastly different socio-cultural and economic backgrounds, we noticed a common thread: a radiant set of tendencies associated with childhood — curiosity, eagerness to communicate, a love for everything they feel is meaningful, and a sparkling way of perceiving the world.

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Children's reactions are remarkably similar everywhere. Many places we visited left a positive impression — from the great cities of the West (Berlin, London, New York, Chicago, Montreal, Los Angeles) to tiny, remote villages in rural Greece. Everywhere we found wonderful people who embraced our work with care and genuine interest.

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6. Tell us about your work with theater-education workshops. Are there any new workshops coming up?

Besides performances, we also organize theater workshops for children. One of our most memorable experiences was conducting Greek language reinforcement workshops through theater for Greek communities in San Francisco and New Jersey.

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These workshops last 3–5 days and involve a wide range of activities based on Drama in Education. Their goal is to build an original theatrical performance from scratch. With the guidance of facilitators, the children create scenes, sets, and scripts together.

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We draw inspiration for these workshops from many sources: Aesop’s Fables, Greek mythology, and important works of world literature. This approach organically mobilizes the group’s creativity and results in something artistically and emotionally profound. These collective projects foster solidarity and cooperation — leaving an indelible mark on all participants.

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We owe the idea for these workshops to Professor Alkistis Kontogianni from the Department of Theater Studies at the University of the Peloponnese, and we publicly thank her for her support!

 

7. How do you enjoy spending your free time, and what is your relationship with social media?

Reading, traveling, yoga, running, cinema, theater, and music — we enjoy engaging both body and mind in life! As for social media, we maintain a warm and active relationship with it.