After a sold-out premiere in September, Demetra Giannakopoulos’ live radio play returned on Friday, 9 December for one night only at The Greek Centre.
The live radio play was a part of the Greek Community of Melbourne’s ‘Storytelling Project’ an initiative that looks to promotes Greek-Australian diverse narratives.
The space on the night was buzzing with a diverse group of Melbournians who all came to ponder the significance of this unique but distinct Greek-Australian story.
Giannakopoulos’ writing and direction tapped into the difficulties of opening up to your Greek family and ‘Coming out for Christmas’, for many families still an unchartered topic.
The Greek Australian artist seamlessly describes the challenging role of a mother whose job it is to maintain her family’s traditions but also encourage her daughter to grow into an independent, self-assured woman.
Highlighting a daughter’s hurdles of speaking openly to her parents and juxtaposing their pre-determined expectations of who they want her to be with who she is.
Joanna Bakker’s performance perfectly enraptured main character Alex’s determination and vulnerability and demonstrated the real courage a daughter draws when having a difficult conversation with her traditional mother, even though she foresees her reaction.
The talented cast of ‘Coming Out of Christmas’ included Maria Pappas, Olivia Charalambous, Cosima Gilbert, and Rayhan Maskun, who played the roles of Eirini, Stav, Jodie, and Jamie.
