PATROKLOS SKAFIDAS

HILL 731 BY ARIS BINIARIS

POREIA THEATRE 2019

A concert performance which returns to history to draw a precious lesson for the present day. Hill 731 was the site of a battle that took place in 1941 during which the small-scale Greek army managed to defeat Mussolini’s much greater force in its attempt to conquer Greece. In the battle, which has been considered a milestone in the history of both countries, the course of events and size of each army seem to enter the realm of the absurd when considering the exploits of the Greek infantry and the conduct of the Italian offensive of overwhelming size.
Using a musical narration of events as a theatre key, the performance takes fighting to an existential and spiritual battlefield common to every human being. In a world dominated by irrational thinking, he who goes against accepted ideas and fights against conventional wisdom and common logic can find an authentic and personal path. To put it in another way, a decision which takes an individual back to the natural flow of life can triumph and dismantle the establishment against a seemingly unbeatable adversary who tries to impose a system of alleged regularity and conformity.

Concept- Direction- Text Aris Biniaris

Music written and performed by Victor Kouloumpis (Bass), Panos Sardelis (Drums), Christos Georgopoulos (Guitar)

Set and costumes design Paris Mexis

Lighting Design Aris Biniaris, Paris Mexis

Assistant to the director Dora Xagorari

Assistant to the stage design Despina Faridou

Assistant to the costumes Dafni Iliopoulou

Photography and video by Patroklos Skafidas

Performers Aris Biniaris, Konstantinos Sevdalis

Produced by POREIA THEATRE

Supported by THE GREEK MINISTRY OF CULTURE

Tour 2019

MITTELFEST, Italy

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ANDROS, Greece

DIMITRIA FESTIVAL, Greece