Today in New York: Aktina Stathaki

:: Aktina, could you please introduce yourself and the activities of Les Manouches Theatre?

I am a theater artist and passionate about culture. I use “theater artist” because I cannot think of an area in theater that I haven’t worked at- from hanging lights to directing, to publishing articles, to marketing. I have worked in Greece, Toronto, South Africa and New York and I am currently the artistic director for Between the Seas festival. I founded Les Manouches in 2OO8 with the mission to create original theater performance, to contribute in the circulation of cultural ideas, discussions and interesting work and to bridge the fields of research and performance practice on issues of identity and culture. Les Manouches’ first work, an a adaptation of a short story by G. G. Marquez, was performed in Ontario and NYC in 2OO9. We are now producing Between the Seas festival and planning the staging of Molly Sweeney, a play by Brian Friel.

:: What is Between the seas Festival?

BTS festival will be organized for the first time in NYC in 2O11. The mission of the festival is to familiarize NYC audiences with contemporary Mediterranean culture, give the space to young artists from the Mediterranean and Med diaspora to share their work, and generate discussion among artists, scholars, and audiences on Mediterranean culture and identity, its commonalities and differences, and its historical and geographical interconnectedness.

Our vision is to promote an understanding of the Mediterranean region as having the potential to be a model of crosscultural coexistence and growth against discourses that insist on homogenizing or polarizing representations of the region. The festival will be open to Mediterranean and US-based performing artists from the fields of dance, music and theater. It will also include a conference component with panels and discussions on Mediterranean culture.

Right now we are putting together the BTSblog, the official blog of the festival: contributors from different Med countries will be sharing information on the arts, culture news, reviews, interviews etc. from their regions. We hope that the blog will facilitate making connections on both sides of the Atlantic and exchanging ideas and information.

:: Tell us about the staged readings in NY on October 18th and how people can be involved in the event.

The staged readings are a preliminary event to the main festival that will give opportunity to artists with an interest in the Mediterranean to share their work and connect with each other. We are very interested to find out what is the current dramaturgy produced in the Mediterranean, what themes prevail among Med and diasporic writers, how do US artists see and represent the region. People can participate as actors, directors and playwrights by submitting scripts and/or proposals for a reading. And of course people can participate as audiences, give feedback to the artists- it will be a fun and informal evening!

:: What is your relationship with the City of New York and what is your favourite NYC place?

I visited NYC for the first time in the spring of 2004 and fell in love with it! I became a regular visitor ever since and moved permanently in September 2009. I now live in the East Village. I love the city vibe, the arts, the contradictions, the seemingly endless possibilities. I have so many favourite places… But off the top of my head I’ll say Washington Sq. Park for its street artists and Barbes Brooklyn- I’ve heard some of the best music there!

Call for submissions: Between the Seas staged readings

Between the Seas is an initiative that aims to bring together performing artists from the Mediterranean and Mediterranean diaspora, explore Mediterranean cultural identity, its historical connections, commonalities and differences and share with New York audiences the vibrancy of contemporary Mediterranean cultural production.

In anticipation of Between The Seas festival that will be organized in 2011, we are hosting an evening of staged readings that will give the opportunity to NY based artists to connect, share their work and interests and exchange projects and ideas. The event will take place on Monday October 18th, 6-10 pm at Solas [232 East 9th str].

We are inviting proposals for staged readings by writers, directors and theater companies. We are looking for: new plays by contemporary Mediterranean playwrights [preferably that have not been staged in NY before]; new plays by US-based playwrights that engage in various ways with Mediterranean culture and identity; short stories by Mediterranean writers that artists are interested in adapting for the stage.

We welcome short or full-length plays, and script still in progress.  Please submit: resume, a brief cover letter and a 10-page sample of the script. Deadline: September 20th. Email your materials to lesmanouchestheatre@gmail.com