Proposal of artistic intentions

The Municipal Theatre of Piraeus is a theatrical structure – monument, without any stylistic idle talk and is considered as one of the most important architectural buildings in Greece. Simple, strict, with serene and harmonious masses it imposes and odours immediately without being gaudy.

The Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, because of its past, it continues to create memories for the people of Piraeus, which create expectations for a new theatrical era. The symbolism of it is strongly connected with the Piraeus port, the biggest port of the country and is a portal to the city of Piraeus, Athens, Greece, the Balkans and everywhere in the world.

To cope with a theatre – monument such as the Municipal Theatre, there are many things to consider, such as the special “personality” of Piraeus, the momentum that the port and its tourism offer, the modern theatrical language and creation, its educational operation, the possibility of hosting musical acts from opera to modern music, and in general develop an intervening network including all modern intellectual creation and developing logic that can offer a lot to the center of Piraeus and establish it as a central presence in the cultural life. 

At the same time, its special geographical spot (being located on the axis that connects Athens and Piraeus) offers and advantage, with it being the pinnacle of Piraeus and Syggrou street, it connects on a culture level Athens, Onassis Cultural Centre (Stegi), the National Observatory of Athens, the Cultural Centre of Stavros Niarhos Foundation, as well as Benaki Museum, the Mihalis Kakogiannis Foundation, the Athens Art School, the Greek festival, the School of Athens (part of the National Theatre) and the National Theatre with Piraeus before reaching the port. With this in mind, the Municipal Theatre can become a cultural road and network of cultural planning-intervening and intense creation.

Its position in the centre of Piraeus is clutch since it can transform into a portal of culture, a connection between the National Gallery, the Cultural Foundations of Piraeus and the extramurals. 

Additionally, it can contribute in the creativity of the Cultural Coast with the Museum of Underwater Antiquities, as well as other spaces-neighborhoods from Piraeus to Salamina and to the Refugees housings in Kokkinia.

The Municipal Theatre of Piraeus can become, with its unique character, a lever of culture, education, tourism and development. 

 

Intentions

Modern productions, repertoire of high quality, innovation, openness, mobility and collaborations, openness to the local society and the young people, diffusion to multimedia, workshops, exhibitions, lectures; all which create a modern intervening multi-purpose space. Basically, the Municipal Theatre will perform as a cultural production hub and will intervene artistically all around Piraeus and even further than that. In order to achieve all these, there needs to be a precise organization chart, a rationalization of its operation on economic, technical and operational level. Mostly, there needs to be time and patience, since culture is the development of the future.

Nick Diamantis