Greek National Theater

(Ethnikon Theatron), a state dramatic theater.

The National Theater was founded in 1932 in Athens. In the first years of its existence the theater staged the works of ancient Greek dramatists (Aeschylus, Sophocles), as well as Western European authors (Shakespeare, Schiller) and modern Greek playwrights (G. Xenopoulos, P. Horn). In the 1940’s and 1950’s the National Theater presented primarily classical and foreign plays, although it often turned to the plays of modern Greek dramatists. These performances reflected the creative experiments of Greek directors such as A. Minotis, D. Rondiris, and T. Muzenidis, who were attempting to re-create their classical heritage in the modern theater. Leading people in the theater achieved notable success in the art of acting, including the tragic actresses K. Paxinou and A. Sinodinou and the actors A. Minotis and T. Cotsopulos. Among the plays produced in the 1950’s and 1960’s were Xenopoulos’ Countess Valerena’s Secret, Shakespeare’s King Lear and Othello, Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author, and Dürrenmatt’s The Visit. Since 1955 the theater has taken part in the annual festivals at Epidaurus and Athens.