Greek Theater in Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean from 1810 to 1961

Abstract

In this essay I examine the importance of theater in the communities of the Greek diaspora around the Mediterranean and in southeastern Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Greek translations of European plays and original modern Greek plays were both published and produced from Odessa to Vienna and from Constantinople to Alexandria. The onset of the Greek War of Independence in 1821 had an adverse effect on the public performances of Greek plays in the Ottoman Empire for several years, but performances resumed in 1856 with the Hatti-Hümayun (Imperial Edict). Theater at this time was used as a means to raise the consciousness of the Greek diaspora. It was supported by the touring professional companies, local amateur companies, and by intellectuals, teachers, and journalists who translated or adapted foreign plays into Greek but also wrote original plays. The demise of prosperous Greek communities during the twentieth century put an abrupt end to this all this activity.