Thomas Moschopoulos and his ensemble had decided to make a performance based entirely on improvisation, partly drawing inspiration from the classic painting by Géricault, which depicts a raft with the surviving passengers after the shipwreck of the “Medusa”. They are wretched and devastated, as they had to resort to cannibalism in order to survive.
This image which was linked, no doubt, with the feeling of dreariness that had taken over Greece due to the financial crisis, was one of the two axes of the performance, the other one being Moschopoulos and the actor’s own life experiences.
These two together were the raw materials of the performance.
Co-produced by
the Athens Festival and Elias Giannakakis
Cinematography/Screenplay/Directed by
Elias Giannakakis
“Medusa” was a great experience. I already knew most of the actors and, of course, Moschopoulos and that favoured me with almost inconspicuous filming.
When a large group of young drama students joined the team, the whole project became much more lively and exciting.
Three videos were made, two of which were short. The first was screened near the entrance during the arrival of the audience, the second during the interval, and the third was a sequence of wider or narrower details of the painting that were projected during the performance behind the stage action.
The production got a mediocre response from the critics, but I think it deserved better as the concept itself was so special and original, that it overshadowed any awkwardness, which comes with improvisation.
On my part, I was in better shape, in comparison to ‘Metamorphoses’. I was much better with the camera and I could move among the actors, something that produced a very interesting result.
My involvement in “Medusa” gave me confidence that was very constructive for the pictures I made on the theatre process, in the years that followed.
