THE CYPRIOT THEATRE IN THE MIDST OF GLOBAL CRISIS

Abstract

In the 21st century, the era of globalization, the technological advancement and the ongoing migration movements, the global com-munity experiences a deep and multi-dimensional crisis (sociopolitical, financial, and cultural). This paper discusses the impact of these multi-ple aspects of the crisis in the theatre of Cyprus, especially during the second decade of the 21st century. The theatre in the time of crisis seems to suffocate within the traditional frames of dramatic theatre. As a re-sult, a group of young directors, without hesitation, confront and keep up with the new trends observed internationally, thus introducing new theatre forms (devised theatre, site-specific theatre, happenings etc.) in the Cypriot theatrical landscape and seeking to develop a new way of dialogue with the audience. Cypriot theatre today uses methods and approaches (ideological and aesthetic) that renounce fundamental the-atrical conventions of dramatic theatre. This fact allows us to talk about experimentation, as well as about presence of elements of post-dramatic theatre in the country. The making of theatre in the public sphere is now an act of social resistance to local and global events and the first step that may lead to political and social change.