Rehearsals have begun for the first, long-awaited production on Thoc’s Main Stage Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The visit, which is among the finest plays of the 20th century, will premiere on 24 November in a production directed by Neophytos Taliotis.

About the play

In a small town somewhere in Central Europe, the arrival of Claire Zachanassian, who is returning to her birthplace for the first time in forty-five years, causes quite a stir. The once prosperous place is now sinking into poverty and the townspeople of Güllen see the wealthy Claire as their only hope. She promises to offer them unlimited wealth on one condition: a member of the community must murder Alfred Ill, her former lover, who rejected her and abandoned her with a child. The offer forces an entire community to choose between morality and profit.

In his 1956 tragicomedy, the German-speaking Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt skilfully employed a series of theatrical techniques, chiefly expressionism and Brechtian narration, to highlight the great contradictions of modern society and to denounce its decadence and depravity. The visit is an allegory about the defeat of morality in its battle with money, and inevitably has relevance for our world today.

Neophytos Taliotis returns to Thoc to share with audiences his own reading of this great, timeless play, which the state theatre first staged in an iconic production in 1988. This year's production brings together set designer Angelos Angeli, composer Michalis Christodoulidis, and a brilliant cast of actors, with Annita Santorinaiou and Stavros Louras in the two main roles.

Credits

Translation: Giorgos Depastas
Direction: Neophytos Taliotis
Sets & costumes: Angelos Angeli
Music: Michalis Christodoulidis
Movement: Alexia Nikolaou
Directing assistant: Marios Konstantinou

The cast (in alphabetical order): Thanasis Georgiou, Michalis Kazakas, Valentinos Kokkinos, Kleitos Komodikis, Panagiotis Kyriakou, Stavros Louras, Dinos Lyras, Panos Makris, Neoklis Neokleous, Christina Papadopoulou, Panagiota Papageorgiou, Alexandros Parissis, Annita Santorinaiou, Athena Savva, Vasilis Vasilakis

Performances

Nicosia | Thoc Theatre, Main Stage, Evis Gavriilidis Auditorium
From 24 November 2023
and on tour

Information/Tickets

Online at https://tickets.thoc.org.cy
Thoc Theatre box office, tel. 77772717 (Tuesday-Saturday 10am-1.30pm & 4pm-6pm)