THE SLENDER GIRL
by Andreas Karkavitsas

THE SLENDER GIRL
by Andreas Karkavitsas
Adapted by Irene Moundraki
Directed by Irene Lamprinopoulou
From 24 October 2024
 
The Slender Girl (1896) is set in Lechaina, a small village in the prefecture of Ileia. The titular character is inspired by the object of Andreas KarkavitsasΆs own frustrated yearnings as an adolescent.

The play follows the burgeoning romance of Anthi Strimmenou, the daughter of a grocer, and Georgios Vranas, a young carriage driver. Her father, though, has other ideas; wishing to ensure his own prosperity and the security of his shop, he resolves to marry off his daughter to his devious employee, Nikolos. Georgios suggests running away together so that Anthi can avoid the fate that awaits her, but she refuses. She weds Nikolos, and shortly afterwards, her rejected suitor find solace with another young woman in the village and makes her his wife. Married life changes Anthi and she goes from being a young woman in love to a disappointed spouse. However, the arrival of a baby transforms the relationship with her husband and leads her to devote herself fully to her new role.
 
The end of KarkavitsasΆs story can be read either as endorsing compromise or as lamenting acquiescence. Exploring the boundaries between the two, the production aims, through a collage of memories, to reframe the life of a woman whose destiny has always been circumscribed by the gaze of society. The play examines AnthiΆs unacknowledged desires and fears, her doubts about her choices, and her opportunities for self-determination, leading us to question how a person's future is decided.

Adaptation: Irene Moundraki
Director: Irene Lamprinopoulou
Set and lighting design: Vasilis Apostolatos
Costume design: Ioanna Plessa
Music: Dimitris Lolis
Movement: Thomais Stavrianou-Zymaritou
Production dramaturg: Irene Moundraki
Artistic associate: Marialena Ilia
Directing assistant: Anna Filidou
Set design assistant: Ellie Spendou

The cast (in alphabetical order): Daphne Drakopoulou, Danai-Arsenia Filidou, Mando Giannikou, Vasilis Karaboulas, Konstantinos Sevdalis, Thanos Triantafyllou, Maria Tsima