KONSTANTZA GEORGAKAKI
Professor
Theatre Studies – History of Greek Theatre, with special emphasis on the history of Athenian theatre in the 19th and 20th centuries
She was born in Piraeus. A graduate of the Franco-Hellenic School “Jeanne d’Arc”, she holds a degree from the Department of Philology of the School of Philosophy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1982), and a PhD from the Department of Theatre Studies of the same university, with a dissertation entitled “Theatre policy during the Othonian period” (1997). From 1984 to 2001 she worked as a philologist in secondary education. Since the academic year 2001–2002 she has been teaching in the Department of Theatre Studies, where she currently serves at the rank of Professor.
Her teaching and research work, conference papers, and publications focus on Greek theatre of the 19th and 20th centuries, the reception of foreign theatre companies by Greek audiences, and the relationship between theatre and politics. Since the early 1990s she has participated in conferences and published articles in academic journals and conference proceedings.
She was responsible for the Erasmus+ programme for the bilateral agreements with Paul Valéry University Montpellier III (2004–2020) and Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (2020–2021). She taught, within the framework of the Professeurs en Mobilité Universitaire 2024 UPVM3 programme, in the Modern Greek Department of Paul-Valéry University Montpellier III (17 November–2 December 2024).
She participated, in collaboration with Professor Liviu Dospinescu of Université Laval, in the scientific team of the research project “Les représentations de la catastrophe humaine dans le théâtre du début du XXIe siècle comme rite de passage: retour à la tragédie ou théâtre rituel?” (2021–2025), funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.
She also collaborated with Fotis Lambrinos’ team on the television series Hounta einai. Tha perasei?, broadcast by NET in 2012.
Research Interests
- History of Modern Greek theatre in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Theatre policy and the institutional framework of theatre in Greece.
- Relations between theatre and politics in modern Greek culture.
- Reception and presence of foreign theatre companies among Greek audiences.
- Cultural exchanges and international influences on Modern Greek theatre.
Participation in Programmes
- Project “The Representations of Human Catastrophes in Theatre through Rites of Passage: Tragedy or Social Drama?”, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), in collaboration with Professor Liviu Dospinescu of Université Laval (2022–2025).
Publications (selected)
- “Gérard Philipe de notre adolescence”, in Violaine Houdart-Merot & Marie Petitjean, Gérard Philipe. Le devenir d’un mythe, Paris: Hermann 2024, pp. 145-156.
- “Une Cafarde sur la scène athénienne”, in Fanny Platelle, Alain Montandon, Hélène Laplace-Claverie (eds.), Les insectes dans les arts de la scène, Paris: Honoré Champion, 2023, pp. 197-208.
- “Spyros A. Evanghelatos as General Director of the Greek National Opera. A First Assessment”, in Panagiotis Michalopoulos - Giorgos P. Pefanis (eds.), Research, Composition, Interpretation. Approaching the Theatre of Spyros A. Evanghelatos, Papazisis Publications, Athens 2023, pp. 65-79.
- “‘The Art Theatre comes first in the care of the State’: Subsidies to Karolos Koun during the first six post-dictatorship years”, in Areti Vasileiou, Konstantinos Kyriakos, Lina Rozi (eds.), The Theatrical World of Karolos Koun, Amolgos 2022, pp. 385-397.
Books / Monographs
- Alexis Solomos – The Noble Initiate of the Spirit, Athens: Department of Theatre Studies, 2024 [In collaboration with Associate Professor Gogo Varzelioti]
Current Topics
- Topic 1 — short description.
- Topic 2 — short description.
Conferences / Talks
- “Piraeus Theatre in the Balkans”, at the 5th Conference of Modern Greek Studies Scholars of the Balkan Countries on the theme “The influence of Greek culture on the other Balkan cultures (1453–2024): Language, literature, art, religion” (Belgrade, 12–14 September 2024).
- “The Wagon of Thespis in the post-dictatorship period”, at the conference organised by the Laboratory for Research and Documentation of Modern Greek Theatre, Department of Theatre Studies / NKUA, on the theme “Theatre in the periphery” (Chania, 8–9 November 2024).
Undergraduate Courses
- European Dramaturgy IV
- Theatre and Politics
Postgraduate Courses / Supervision
- -