Katerina Evagelatou in “A” / The existential naturally intertwines with the political

With the announcement of the program of the Athens Epidaurus Festival only a few days away, we had the opportunity to speak with its artistic director Katerina Evagelatos, who, expressing her joy and satisfaction with the planning of this year’s program, gave us a first impression of manner and the inspiration from which this year’s program emerged

The festival this time has a political orientation. Why did you feel a need to be more politically charged this year in particular?

This has resulted from the interaction with the artistic firmament of both the people active in Greece, not to say only Greek, but also the global one, first the European one, but also then from the artistic development in the rest of the countries. Of course, from discussions with our creative team and the festival’s artistic advisors. It is to this pulse that most of the creative, artistic forces of the world are currently tuned. But each and every creator has their own artistic language and expression, through which they talk about the issues that concern them. Far from us manifestos, didacticism and political recruitment. That’s why I’m also talking about beauty, because it’s not a cerebral festival by any means, and I hope that this can be seen in the program as well. That is, how to live our lives? How to endure our life? It is existential. And the existential naturally intertwines with the political, with society and with the conditions in which we live next to each other.

I noticed that there is a cycle of “Postcolonization” running through the program. What is hidden within this period that can inspire art and a festival?

Within our general orientation, which is Democracy, justice, how to live our lives, how to endure our lives, there is indeed a “Transmigration” cycle with three events: a visual-performance, which you will actually see starting in Piraeus 260, then we have a pure theater performance and the climax of the cycle with a concert-commission to Dionysis Savvopoulos, which will include prose and music, not only his own of that period but also of other composers who marked the Postcolonial period. I couldn’t help but talk about this season. I think, of course, that the whole scenery of the country has changed both on a political level, on a reflective level, but also on an artistic level. And I felt that there are also Greek artists who are very concerned about this issue. So we created this small, but I think interesting circle, which actually has all three main directions of the festival: theater, music and a mixed genre that is half discussion half visual. So one can, if he attends all three, have a rich and global experience.

With yet another femicide being added these days, I was wondering hand on heart after so many years in art direction if you could give a small and brief account of the difficulties you faced and face as a woman in such a position.

It is very difficult to take such stock and be fair both to oneself and to others. But I want to tell you that even for people like me, who to an outside observer might consider me to be a dynamic person and who has finally achieved some things in his life, and probably to have achieved them, he will not face problem, but even for a person like me prejudices are very hard to break. Starting with whether I am my father’s daughter, continuing with commenting on my outward appearance and moving on many times to, in my opinion, unfair or incomplete judgments of my work, whether artistically or as an art director because I am a woman. I am sure that for a male colleague of mine such judgments would not be uttered. Of course, because I have hardened my life against malicious criticism from the outside, these do not penetrate me. But I can imagine for a person, a woman or a femininity or a person who wishes to define themselves in a different way than society is ready to accept, how much harder, more difficult things can be. With my attitude I try to send a message about resilience and a well-meaning “stubbornness”. When there is a personal or collective mission that you have embarked on, whether it is your art or solidarity or even a social visionary purpose, this must be above all and, of course, with the help of the people you have chosen by your side, your partner, your very close relatives, your family, your friends, those you have chosen to have friends, girlfriends, together with those close to you who also have the power to tell you your mistakes and your mistakes. With them you can proceed with modesty and balance, and above all without giving value to comments of insignificant importance. This is the only weapon in such a society. Women have a very hard road ahead of us, really. We have a long way to go.

How is all this reflected in the festival?

It is clear that the festival is inclusive and from the program you can see that women and femininities are in a way leading the way.