The Greek community’s Creative Drama & Arts group breathed new life into South Oakleigh Secondary College’s Strachan Theatre on Thursday night, with an impressive performance of Perspective.
Hundreds turned out to see the anticipated play directed by Stathis Grapsas, which dealt with contemporary themes through clever dialogue delivered by a higher calibre of performers, despite being amateur.
An improvised performance, it managed to successfully capture the ups and downs of everyday life through comedy, topics including romantic relationships, the hypocrisy found in religion, and Greek bureaucracy, amongst a host of others.
Under Grapsas’ guidance, the team came together to brainstorm their ideas, putting forward their own personal experiences in Greece and Australia, and worked on the performance over just two-and-a-half months.
“The themes were the experiences of the group on stage,” coordinator Katerina Poutachidou told Neos Kosmos.
“They were able to record their experiences and Stathis took these and put his own artistic spin on them to dramatise them and tie all the pieces into a single ensemble.”
The passionate performers came together two to three times a week for 3-hour rehearsals, committed to the project, which showed on the night.
“They were there, and they wanted to share their thoughts with the public. In the three years they have been taking part in the workshop, they have developed friendships between them, and this energy and aura contributed to the play.”
The show was embraced by Greeks and non-Greeks alike, giving a much needed fresh perspective into the daily life of members of the community in Melbourne.
Following Thursday night’s success, there are plans in the pipeline for Perspective to return to the stage, so watch this space for details.