Following on from two successful sell-out seasons of Helen Yotis Patterson’s Taxithi – An Australian Odyssey, the play has been honoured with two nominations by the Green Room Awards Association.
Falling under the category of Independent Theatre, performers Yotis-Patterson, Maria Mercedes, and Artemis Ioannides are in the running for the title of Best Ensemble and Petra Kalive for Best Direction.
Speaking to Neos Kosmos, Ioannides expressed her thanks for the opportunity to be apart of such a poignant production as a performer, which proved to be a particularly “special experience” as the daughter of immigrants and an immigrant herself.
“I feel very fortunate to have been granted the privilege to be a body and voice for those resilient women who over the years silently wove their longing for home into Australia’s DNA. The response of the audience made up of Australians from all cultural backgrounds, was overwhelming and completely humbling,” Ioannides said.
“Helen, Maria, myself and the whole Taxithi team really treat this show as a very honest offering to our audience. The Green Room nominations are a heart-warming confirmation that the theatre community is as moved by this work as we are.”
The nominations couldn’t have come at a better time, with Taxithi scheduled to return to the stage for two more shows on April 7 and 8 at the Whitehorse Centre.
The stage show written by Yotis-Patterson has become a platform for the untold stories of women who migrated from Greece to Australia in the 1950s and 60s. Filled with their touching memories and the passionate music of their homeland, the stories reveal the strength of the women who made new lives and created a lasting impression on their new surrounds.
The Greek Room Awards, now in their 34th year, are a chance to recognise excellence and innovation across a range of professional productions presented on the Melbourne stage in 2016, with a total of 66 awards set to be presented at the Awards Ceremony at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre on March 27.
Neos Kosmos wishes the Taxithi team the best of luck!
Tickets to the 34th Green Room Awards now available via www.ticketmaster.com.au. For more information, visit www.greenroom.org.au