Greek National Theater Performs Shakespeare in London for ‘Globe to Globe’ Festival

One of the most anticipated theater festivals, the Globe to Globe Festival, was inaugurated in London on the occasion of the 2012 Olympic Games. The Greek National Theater presents a performance of “Pericles,” directed by Giannis Houvardas in translation by Dionysis Kapsalis in the well-known Globe Theatre on April 26 and 27.

Globe To Globe is just one element of the World Shakespeare Festival, which was launched on Monday, April 23, the anniversary of the playwright’s birth. It is part of the London 2012 Festival, which ties in with the summer Olympics. Shakespeare’s 37 plays will be performed in 37 languages, from Swahili to sign language.

In a BBC article about the festival, Globe To Globe artistic director Tom Bird said it was not difficult to follow the stories even if you did not speak the languages being spoken by the actors. “What I’ve found from travelling around the world is that you get an incredible sense of what’s going on in a show, even from the way people move on the stage and the things people wear,” he said.

After some decades away, the National Theatre of Greece returns to London for Globe to Globe, to rework Shakespeare’s tale of their countryman’s wanderings through the Mediterranean. Christos Loulis, Stephania Goulioti, Dimitris Piatas, Maria Skoula, Lydia Photopoulou, Minas Hatzisavas, Manolis Mavromatakis are the Greek actors who traveled to London to performed the famous play in Greek.

The National Theater of Greece is one of dozens of theatrical groups that were invited from across the nation to present Shakespeare’s works in their native language.

Coordinated by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Globe to Globe Festival runs until November and will also feature performances in Stratford-upon-Avon where the famous poet was born, Newcastle, Gateshead, Birmingham, Edinburgh and at the Eisteddfod in Wales.