Themis Moumoulidis: “Patra to claim the National Stage of Southern Greece”

“Since 2005-06, I had declared that I would never deal with the DIPETHE institution again because, quite simply, their circle had closed and something new had to be opened. I have been saying this since then, when I was talking about the National Theater of Southern Greece based in Patras. And as an MP for SYRIZA, that’s what I attempted, regardless of whether I failed…”

Bitter findings in “P”, by the acclaimed director and former artistic director of DIPETHE Patras, Themis Moumoulidis, who at the same time invites the city to a consultation and the Deputy Minister of Culture Jason Fotilas to claim for Patras a theater stage of national scope:

“Patra deserves a high-level institution, an institution in collaboration with its orchestras, perhaps even a Panhellenic Musical Theater Center and to become the third National Stage in Greece, after the National and State Theatres. Today, Patra also has a Deputy Minister of Culture, my friend Jason Fotila. Let him see…
Let the city talk about it, it is in the context of a healthy dialogue, regardless of our ideological starting point. A city like Patras, with its huge historical route, with its important European port, has the right to do so. Let Patras claim the money, let Jason do it!”.

“AMORALISM AND IGNORANCE OF RISK”
“It is very torturous to insist that there is an institution of DIPETHE and that there are candidate artistic directors. In other words, there is an ignorance of danger, in relation to the future of the theater and there is also an amorality. I don’t understand why any serious artist would go and take over the direction of any Regional Theater in Greece, since the situation is what we all see…”.

“CELEBRATION FROM THE MINISTRY OF THE DEPARTMENT”
“The cycle of DIPETHE has closed, because not even the local government is interested in claiming from the state. With the meager funding received by DIPETHE and the existing bureaucracy, an important artistic work cannot be produced. Take, also, the set of artistic functions: Few cases are important. Most of them exist for reasons independent of theatrical reality…
There can be no theater in the region if the region does not claim and if the central government does not understand that the issue of artistic-theatrical decentralization is paramount. Unfortunately, out of the 3 million that the YPPO gave in 2000 as a grant to the DIPETHE of the whole country, when the institution was already in recession, today it gives 500-700,000 euros!
At the same time, however, we have a Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which intends to hold the “All Greece is a Culture” festival and give 2.5 million euros, to do, no one knows what exactly! Instead of allocating them to upgrade the DIPETHE institution or to start something else”.

“I DIDN’T COME WITH MY GROUP”
In fact, Mr. Moumoulidis does not fail to sharpen his evil arrows at artistic directors who “shot” their own people:
“When I came to Patras, I did not come with my company, nor with my friends. When I left in 2007, I took stock and I am probably the only artistic director of DIPETHE in Greece who took stock. I remind you that more than 850 creators of all kinds passed through Patras! The most important protagonists and creators of that time and others who flourished later. The artistic director of a DIPETHE does not take his company to have a good time…”.
Is he “photographing” some of his predecessors or successors in Patras? Who knows…

Read also:

Airlifts 2024: They have already exceeded 3,000, the University Hospital of Patras receives cases from the Ionian Sea

Halkidiki: Crash at the funeral of 19-year-old Yannis, because the amusement park was blocked from a festival

Former employee opened fire on teachers in Bosnia: Three dead and one injured

Pyrgos: The sight of the 15-year-old who was hit with a broomstick was restored

Shipwreck in Sicily: Authorities consider portholes scenario