A performance that concerns the audience, makes them review and think: why? Natasa, Lila and Aggeliki “color” the conversation incarnating a special role each one of them. Their common denominator is that they are women.
In continuation of the previous conversation and deepening in it a bit more, the three of them give answers to questions that interweave with reality.
6. Each one of your characters is called to decide what the future of the villa is going to be. Do you believe that it could be a symbolism that you, we -and by that I mean women in general- are the only ones that can decide if our stories will be known?
Lila: I hadn’t thought about that, had you?
Angeliki: What I’ve been thinking about lately is: women, at least in how our society is structured, are in every little core of every family, they’re usually the ones that carry the story. You hear the story and the fairy tales from your grandmother, your mother… Women are, in a way, more linked to memory. Maybe it’s just an observation of mine that includes no truth, however that’s what I see- maybe because we are forced by the everyday life to consistently look back- that the way with which a woman exists in a story while trying to narrate it is way different and much more inclusive than men’s way. Maybe that’s why society has made us believe that women should be and are more caring about things that others are not.
Natasa: I had never thought about that. Surely, men and women haven’t been given the same space to talk about these kind of things.
7. In what ways did the performance affect you on a personal level?
N: I believe that we are okay after this. When we go out people say “you’re fine, okay”. I think it plays a significant role that we’re three very good friends and we also know each other a good ten years…
A: Eleven! (whispering)
N: Eleven, so we play with some of the basic things of theater, not exactly solved, because we went through tough times too, but conquered at a faster pace. Personally, it’s one of these performances that, because these issues were solved early, and because we’ve played a lot of performances in this one and a half year, you get the opportunity to go through a lot of phases of the play. Because every play that’s considered a good play, each time reveals something different. So, I don’t think that we got tired performing this play, because there’s always something new coming up, we have to deal with bigger problems each time, so it’s like a work constantly in progress, which intrigues me so much. We have the opportunity, because we trust each other, not to lock things up and end up in hasty conclusions. That’s the biggest virtue I believe.
L: Sometimes I’m not very well after the performance, I think this happens to you too though (referring to Natasa). But it’s certainly easier, that’s our job at the end of the day. How I think it affected me is that I view the world and some things here in Greece differently. Because, for example, Pinoset wasn’t imprisoned, which is quite shocking. Here in Greece the main torturing space in Athens is now the Ministry of Culture. And it’s not that there’s a huge sign that says “here at the terrace and inside of these buildings people were unbelievably tortured during those seven years”, so I definitely see things differently, research some things a bit more closely. I knew about it, but still there’s so many people that don’t, which is like a dagger in my heart.
A: In any case, when there’s an opportunity, professionally, to be by definition in a pleasant condition, to take part in a performance with people you already love, with a great script, and then you receive the people’s positive response, it’s very nice. I believe it changes you as an artist because you say “okay, maybe even very hard things just need a very simple way, a very direct way to bring people together and to claim together the best we can”. It’s so nice to see something so difficult become almost…
L: A game. There are a lot of people that admit that they got into thinking after: What’s going to happen now? Who is going to act now? What are they going to do? I would vote for this. I would vote for that! It’s a game and in the end they tell us that they end up having a way different feeling about what they would have done or that they can’t decide by no means. It’s wonderful that they get into it.
8. What’s the best way to deal with history after all? Should we leave it in the past or highlight it?
N: That’s the main question of the play, with which it also starts and ends as well. I’ll answer using a well-known phrase that we discussed with the girls: in order to be able to forgive something, and so to move forward, you owe to try and understand it. Truth is, some things are unforgivable sometimes, because they are not easy to understand. And that’s the catch. However, I think that as a people we’re not the ones to put effort into understanding the history. This, of course, depends a little on whether you’ll be lucky to have a family that talks about that stuff openly, or maybe a family that is traumatized by something, and doesn’t want to transmit it to the children too, so they believe that’s the best way to heal this wound. At the same time, in education it is essential to be taught about these things… the oldest they are the better. Recent history is something that… we purposefully avoid? I don’t know, anyway we’re not a people that tries to consistently and methodically comprehend historic events and that’s something that I think is missing.
A: Of course, the science of history itself includes that. However, I believe- and it’s totally a personal opinion- that we owe it to our society to know well our history and to fight to learn about it even more. Because if we have an obligation towards society, is that we have to be (conscientious) citizens. Being a citizen means that you have to stand up for some things, you have to know- and if you don’t know, it’s okay, admit that you don’t know and ask someone so you can learn. For me, that’s the only way we can co-exist with our fellow citizens, if we don’t know the history, if we don’t stand up for some things, it’s not going to work. Because when this happens, mistakes of the past can be repeated. I can’t believe that a person who learns about these horrible things of the past from a young age and what caused them, will consciously choose- because it’s a choice if you know- to do it again.
9. You as Natassa, Aggeliki and Lila, what would you do with the villa? Would you let it depopulate, would you turn it into an art place, a museum?
L: I think I would do what they did on the play.
A: I think in cases like this there’s never right or wrong answer. It has to do with how you stand in front of these things. I mean, now that we get asked this question, we answer differently than we did a year ago.
L: Maybe we’ll answer something different next year!
A: Exactly, yes! I always think that peoples’ desire is fair. What I mean: what people did- the ones that were directly involved, the residents of the region, the children of the people that were in the villa, the people that survived themselves. They decided, they stepped up and did how they felt, they did entirely personal things to this place. In Athens outside of where we play, we have a photography exhibition so that everybody can see that place. I think the wisest choice, in the end, is what the people did.
N: In such cases, the fairest option is the directly involved people to have the first say. I believe, of course, that after something like that the subject that will be brought up is going to be chaotic. Because even if you are directly involved and I tell you to do whatever you want, who is it that gives me the permission? It’s really going to be different every time.
L: But that is exactly what happens in the play too!
N: Yes, it is. Because one can be so traumatized that never wants to talk about it again, maybe they don’t care what will happen with it, and someone might want to talk about it and look at it every day, another one might want to demolish it, burn it…
10. The performance includes the phrase “The Road They Never Followed” in the title. What do you think would have happened if they did follow that road?
L: Hm, it would be nice, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t it be nice if such things never happened? I don’t know what could happen. Probably, if this hadn’t happened there… how do we call it? The butterfly effect?
N: Yes, exactly. Probably something similar would happen somewhere else…
L: Maybe something else would happen somewhere else, because of course this didn’t happen only in Chile, there were similar torture camps in Argentina respectively, they were also training in Panama… What would happen? Well… you’ll find out in the play.
The conversation finishes with the phrase if only such things hadn’t happened and the entire humanity keeps a moment of silence. If we could only retain one thing from this encounter, it would be exactly the “butterfly effect”.
Something beautiful happened in this room. Six women got together, discussed and- even for a while- they dreamed of a world without horror and violence.
So let this butterfly fly away and this thought to spread everywhere, like a wish.
*You can find part1 of “On Fridays we Love: The Villa” with a click here:
Photo credits: Χρίστος Συμεωνίδης
