Theodora
11:40
Poetic monologue
Fani Petsa, Katerina Skoufari, Maris Sarpetsas.


"Theodora" by Irene Papas
One of the lesser-known aspects of Irene Papa's career is her writing. The great Greek actress wrote mainly poetry and it seems that she had been working on the dramatic poem "Theodora" for years, inspired by the famous Byzantine empress. According to some sources, Theodora was born in Cyprus and rose from a dancer in the hippodrome of Constantinople to become the wife of Emperor Justinian. Papa performed this dramatic monologue in many languages on various stages around the world, always with great success.


CVS
IRINI PAPA (writer ) (1929-2022). Greek actress and writer with an international career. She participated in important international productions such as "The Guns of Navarone" (1961) by J. Lee Thompson, "Zorbas Alexis" (1964), "The Trojans" (1969), "Electra" (1962), "Iphigenia" (1977) by Michael Cacoyannis and "Z" by Costas Gavras (1969).
FANI PETSA (actress) Graduated with honors from the Veaki Drama School (after Ministry of Culture exams), graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens in the Department of Theatre Studies (first place among graduates) and graduated with honors from the postgraduate program in Theatre Studies at the Open University of Cyprus. In 2015-16 she was nominated for the Best Female Role Performance Award at the Cyprus Theatre Awards for her performance in the monologue The Ballad of Horror. She participated as an actress at the Epidaurus Festival, the Art Theatre, the Spring Theatre, the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, the TH.OK, the ENA Theatre, the E.TH.AL. and is a regular collaborator of the Estia Theatre.
KATERINA SKOUFARI (actress) She was born in Cyprus and raised in Greece. In 1991 she graduated from the Pedagogical Academy and began working as a primary school teacher while also participating in children's shows. In 1999 she began her studies at the Mary Vogiatzi Traga School in Athens. Returning to Cyprus, she continued her studies at the Vladimiros Kafkarides Drama School, from where she received her diploma in 2006. She participated in many television series. She is a regular collaborator of the Estia Theater.
MARIO SARPETSAS (actor) Born in Nicosia. He studied Medical Engineering and Business Administration in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong while also attending acting seminars. He was a member of several theater groups and participated in many performances and television series. He is a regular collaborator of the Estia Theater.
AGIS PAIKOS (director) Born in Nicosia. Graduated from the Sorbonne with a degree in film and theater studies. He later continued his studies in the USA. Returning to Cyprus, he worked as a television director in private stations. He has directed for the T.O.K. and other theater groups. His films “Ashes of Summer” and “September” have been honored at the “Cyprus International Film Festival” (2010 and 2011). In 2012, he founded the ESTIA Theater. Three of his performances stood out: "Manoli" (Best Actress Award, THOK for I. Siafkali), "The Ballad of Horror" (Best Actress Award, THOK for F. Petsa), "Miss Julia" (Best Actress Award, THOK for E. Serena).
