Omma Studio Theatre this time deals with the Greek Shadow Theatre which in our country had had a very important role and had marked the souls of the people, because meny social, economical, political problems were revealed, always through the funny stories of Karagiozis (the protagonist of the Greek Shadow Theatre). In "Karagiozis the Great" we follow two parallel stories. The story of "Karagiozis and Alexander the Great (very famous story of Greek Shadow Theatre) and the story of the life of Karagiozis' player, named Sotiris. The performance starts with Sotiris who is speaking about his life and his art and rivals thorugh his memory, Karagiozis and all the rest of the figures, which, in our performance, appear in front of the white screen, "against the light". The figures are very big, and are moved by the actors, the actors become figures, the actors become the persons from the main incidents of the life of Sotiris. The Lab of Sotiris becomes the white screen and vice versa, everything changes, like a game that his memory is playing.

Performed by: Antonis Diamantis, Irini Koutsaki, Maria Panteri, Manolis Soultatos, Lefteris Agelakis and Konstantinos Zaimakis
Dramaturgy/Direction: Antonis Diamantis
Set and Costume Design: Nikos Koniaris
Music: Stelios Magafourakis
Karagiozis' Songs: spiros & Themis Karabalis
Design and construction of the figures: Titos Petrakis, Violeta Kovaèeviæ
Producton: Omma Studio

Omma Theatre Group :: Omma Theatre Group was founded in 1991 by Antonis Diamantis. Omma, in the ancient Greek language, means eye as well as glance. The selection of this name is harmonious with the choice of the theatrical direction, that of the experimental theatre where research work is the primary element and is demanded as a prerequisite and has as a result a new point of view, a new glance. The work of our group proposes new theatrical codes to the spectators. So it is searching and testing the acceptable principles of theatre. What is theatre? What does it mean for an actor to "play"? How does Space and Time influence the function of the performance? We name the way we perform SpaceTheatre, because we are trying to "change" with our presence, space and time. We try to achieve this, applying specific principles, based on physical actions. We usually perform in non-theatrical spaces, in old storehouses, abandoned buildings, old schools, in Greece and abroad. Since 1993, we also make street performances, because we are interested in how our technique can function in a "casual" space, like the street, where conditions for the performance cannot be controlled.
Omma's way of work, originally inspired and influenced by Jerzy Grotowski's Laboratorium and fundamentally by Eugenio Barba's Odin Teatret, now follows its own paths and inquiries.

:: They have performed on INFANT in 1996, 1997 and 1999