“Everything hurts… The work of a stage designer in Greece is exhausting,” says Cleo Boboti mockingly. Behind the aesthetic result that the audience of the performance sees and which should serve the point of view of the director, the set designer in Greece today must be an artist, a craftsman, a craftsman and … an accountant. Because, as is obvious, everything goes through the treasury of production.

I was impressed by the set he made – a spectacular blue-purple carpet wrapped around a cylinder carried around the stage by the actors – for Hector Ligisu’s Bacchantes in Epidaurus in 2017. “I became a stage designer almost by accident. My mom thought about it before choosing architecture, I wanted to do something artistic and when she told me it seemed like a good idea. I studied scenography in England and became interested mainly when I was doing my master’s degree in the work of the Polish artist, stage designer and director Tadeusz Kantor. When I returned to Greece, I made kinetic sculptures and photographed performances. With kinetic sculptures, I started to study mechanical engineering and construction, I discovered the lathe,” he says.

“One of the main requirements for scenography is technical solutions. The manufacturer is also an important partner,” he remarks, and reminds me of the “Sose” sets – “these were the most demanding in terms of construction,” he says, “and in The School of Women, directed by Hector Ligizos, meeting him was a turning point. on her way, starting with Uncle Vanya at the Neos Kosmos Theatre. The sets from last year’s The Persians, directed by Dimitris Karanzas, were also impressive: a tilted disk that allowed light to diffuse from below, creating a shadow and underworld feel in the Epidaurus orchestra. “If the set designer doesn’t mess around with the technical part of the set, which needs to be built to be functional, he has a good chance of not compromising the visual part, which, along with the dramaturgy, is the most basic. highlights and recalls the work he did with the early 19th century courtroom setting in Kleist’s The Broken Jug, presented on the main stage of the National Theatre.

“Akilas and Nikos (note: the production duo A. Karazisis and N. Hatzopoulos) wanted the setting to be deeper and have some elements of the countryside. So, I designed an open space, referring to the popular outdoor areas with a minimal amount of furniture. We painted an 8.50×20 carpet that gives the feel of the countryside, where what looks like a paddock and what looks like a clearing stands out among the earthy flowers. At the beginning of the process, we were inspired by the similarity of theatrical drops to the railing or line that separated the audience from the participants in the process in European courts of the 18th century. With a chair/seat, table and rug, a backdrop was created that can be hung on two drops,” he says.

“How do I enjoy scenography? I think it’s like the joy you get when you solve an equation. You get inspired by the subject, focus it on your personal interests, ideas, director’s vision, dramaturgy, your art comes in and finally the result comes out. When it inspires the director and actors in rehearsals and stays dramatic in the performance, then the solution is probably a good one. The greatest satisfaction comes when, in the process, you have talked to the rest of the participants and they all work as one creator. And each actor influences the direction of the stage in his own way: how he moves and how he stands on stage or in stage is different and forms a decisive part of the overall image.

She stops when I ask if she has any complaints from her house. Her answer: “I think there are several problems with stage design in the theater and in Greece in particular, and many of them have to do with the fact that it is an artistic profession. Economic conditions in the theater industry are a deterrent to long-term exclusive commitments. This also leads to a weakening of scenography as a profession. Fees remain low, as do fixed costs, and a large percentage of producers cannot adequately support the fixed portion. Combined with limited dialogue about the art of scenography, the quality of the work is constantly under threat.”