A show that speaks in its own way to those who are currently in their fourth or fifth decade of life and have reached this point by going through successive crises, seeing their dreams and ambitions ignominiously shattered.
What need motivated you to speak regarding millennials and direct this show?
We started this specific project with Grigoris Liakopoulos and the actors of the show during the first quarantine period. The isolation of the house and the existential terror of that period pushed us to renegotiate our lives and our choices and so we decided to start a project for our generation, to discover if we are indeed a generation, that is, if there are common characteristics and experiences that make us have determined.
What are the characteristics of millennials?
Each generation has many, varied characteristics. Generation Y is a generation regarding which a lot of research has been done and many articles have been written. Some years ago it was characterized as the Me, me, me Generation, as a self-centered and spoiled generation that spends all its money on brunch and good times. They are the generation that grew up in the culture of reality shows and ephemeral glory. The generation that grew up in the prosperity bubble of the 90s and saw their future crumble during the financial crisis and the pandemic.
Which play line do you think sums up millennials?
“This is for those who grew up in the 90’s” and “are still teenagers”.
Is the show aimed exclusively at millennials?
The show is aimed at all generations and the reaction of people belonging to older generations is particularly moving. I think that each generation recognizes something of its own in the text and by extension in the performance.
How do they deal with the world following the repeated crises we experienced and continue to experience?
In pure terror.
Do you see light at the tunnel to their existential frustration? Do you see light at the tunnel of our testing society in 2024? Are you personally optimistic regarding what the future holds?
As a person I am always optimistic, as a director never. But I always hope that in the end everything will be fine. I hope that the next generations will manage to clean up the situation we have reached.
Do millennials watch theater or prefer streaming at home? What do they like to see on stage?
I think the younger generations appreciate what’s honest and regarding them, regardless of whether they access it through a platform or through a theater stage.
After all, is it a lost or a self-centered generation?
I think it’s a bit of both. It is definitely a spoiled generation that has had a hard time stepping on its feet. A generation that was promised a secure future and had to crash land into the new reality.
What suits you and what doesn’t in German theater?
I don’t think there is any specific way in which shows are staged in the German-speaking area. There are certainly many directors who are a source of inspiration for me and I have had the pleasure of working with some of them.
Info
Generation Lost by Grigoris Liakopoulos. Directed by: Katerina Yiannopoulou. Until 4/28. Starring: Dafni Drakopoulou, Giorgos Kissandrakis, Gogo Papaioannou and others. National Theater (Chiler building). St. Konstantinou 22-24. Information: 210 5288170-171. www.nt.gr
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