The Will (2004)
7 men, 3 women
(based on Dimitris Hatzis short story “The Will of the School Teacher” from the short story collection The End of Our Little Town)
The Story The death of Rallides, the peaceful teacher of a provincial town, would otherwise have gone unnoticed if rumors didn’t have it that he left a significant amount of money to one of the city’s charitable organizations. The name of the organization will be announced in two days upon the opening of the will. This is sufficient time to bring into the open all secrets, corruption, and power obsession of the community’s public, political and religious authorities, whose sole purpose is to serve their personal interest. The Prefect, the Mayor, the Chief Editor, the Priest, the Judge, the town’s top Merchant, the Head of the Police, all plot against one another to affiliate themselves with the will’s content. Liaratos, a retired army officer, further triggers these intrigues as his greatest joy in life is to inflame enmity. However, when the will is read in public, a big surprise awaits all: Rallides’ money fund will be given every year to the best High School graduate so that he can fund his University fees and become a dignified and useful member of society, who will yield to no blackmail and pressure.
a crepe for the gallows, please (2011)
4 men, 3 women
(based on Jean Teule’s Little Shop of Suicides)
The Story Tuvache family have been merchants for…ever. They own one of the biggest, most well-known suicide shops in the country. All family members –father Mishima, mother Lucrece, daughter Merilyn and son Vincent- are named after famous suicides and suffer from depression, as all their ancestors did. Needless to say they never smile. The only problem of the family is their youngest son Alan who suffers from innate happiness and joy of life, and constantly smiles, thus threatening the survival of the family business. Alan manages to inspire his sister’s love for Ernest, the young cemetery receptionist, and wake her lively, flirtatious self; he turns his anorexic brother into an artist; he brings out of his workaholic, strict mother her most sensitive, overprotective loving side. Soon, however, Mishima finds out that Alan has taken advantage of his short absence for health reasons to change their suicide shop into a shop selling fun gadgets and party tricks. Mishima chases Alan to kill him with his bare hands, but is hindered by the rest of the family. However, when during the chase Alan slips from the roof of the building and risks getting killed, the entire family –with Mishima leading- starts a rescue operation. They stretch their hand to hold him and slowly drag him up. A few metres before safety, Alan sees that his lifelong dream has come true –to make a smiling, united family- and lets go of their hand.
What’s in a name? (2014)
2 women
The Story In the ladies room of a luxurious restaurant where the wedding reception is held, the two mothers-in law embark on a seemingly innocent and short conversation about the name of the child, since the bride is already pregnant. The place is not at all suitable for such a conversation, which is frequently interrupted by incomers, and moves on to another level after every interruption revealing the background of every family and relationships in a struggle to death about who will prevail.
The Kid (2015)
4 men, 3 women
The Story Drama adaptation based on Charlie Chapin’s classic film transferred to our times. Europe experiences a new order of things. The unnatural rise of the waters has drowned the once rich countries of the North and as a result the English, the Germans, the Swiss and other citizens of Northern Europe have become refuges in the countries of Southern Europe, Greece among them.
At these times, a young girl gives birth to a baby boy of father unknown and falls victim to a baby-selling gang. However, although the baby is snatched away from her, the rest of the plan fails, and the baby is deserted near a refugee camp where Charlie, an English refugee picks it up. At first he keeps it because being a father has more provisions according to the camp rules, but in time he becomes attached to it and raises it as his own. Ten years later, the young girl has become the greatest pop star in the country’s music industry and gives a charity concert in the refugee camp …
SEVEN (2016)
(based on M. Karagatsis “The holy Wekk of the Junkie” from the short story collection To Megalo Synaxari )
4 men, 2 women
The Story Christos Nezeritis, a drug addict and an outcast, lives near the harbor of Piraeus. The hardships of his life follow the same course as the passions of Christ. During the Holy Week Christos is humiliated, runs into the love of his life, Magdalene, who left him for a rich man and was actually the reason for his drug addiction, is betrayed by a friend who nails him to the police as terrorist, is arrested and dies in jail from overdose given to him by a police officer. After his death, his soul goes up but he’s not welcome in Heaven because he has no money, nor is he welcome in Hell because -to them- he’s immoral. His soul has no other alternative but to return to his body, and Resurrection follows in places faraway from where he was born.
SWAN LAKE: THE LEGEND (2017)
(based on Tchaikovsky’s four act ballet)
4 men, 5 women
The Story The people of the Kingdom ruled by William and Ella is happily waiting for Her Majesty’s baby to be born. Yet, the king’s counselor and evil sorcerer Rothbart has decided to cut the thread of the baby’s life short, because according to old prophecies, this child will start the Era of Goodness for 1,000 years. When the baby is first taken out in the fresh air near the lake, Rothbart puts the Queen and her escorts to sleep and tries to put a deadly spell on newborn Odet, but Fate steps in at the very last moment and saves her. She transforms Odet into a swan which will live in the lake forever and only when the sun sets, she will return to her human form. This spell will be broken only when someone loves her with a love greater than his own life. The palace mourns for Odet’s disappearance and government duties are slowly passed on to belligerent Rothbart. Very soon war breaks out, William is killed in the battlefield and the people suffer from hunger. Twenty years later, Prince Zigfried is forced to ask Rothbart for peace, and during his short visit to the country he meets Odet at night in her human form and falls in love with her, but loses her suddenly at dawn break. The peace ball in the palace is actually Zigfried’s way of searching for his beloved lady of the lake, yet on the night of the ball Rothbart transforms his ugly, mean daughter Odil into Odet, and manages to fool the Prince. Flapping of swan wings on the palace window glasses makes everyone feel uneasy, and as the sun is setting, a majestic swan turns into princess Odet. Rothbart throws a death spell on her, but Ella gets in the way: she has recognized her daughter and sacrifices her life for her, breaking the swan spell forever. Fake Odet becomes ugly Odil again, while Zigfried starts a duel with Rothbart and kills him. The royal couple gets married and the New Era of Goodness starts for 1,000 years. Odet gives to her own baby the name of her mother, a mother she hardly ever knew, a mother brought her to life twice.