The Department of Theatre Studies develops and supports research projects covering a broad range of fields, from drama education and community theatre to the study of translation and the reception of ancient drama.
The project digitizes, with accompanying metadata, a representative sample of 40 productions from the G. Patsas Archive, including ancient drama, modern Greek theatre, international dramaturgy, opera and film productions.
The project focuses on the digitization, documentation, management, development and dissemination of the historical artistic archive of the creator George Patsas (1944–2018), highlighting an important chapter of Greece’s cultural heritage and contributing to the international visibility of Greek artistic creation.
The project digitizes, with accompanying metadata, a representative sample of 40 productions from the G. Patsas Archive, covering the categories of ancient drama, modern Greek theatre, international dramaturgy, opera and cinema.
For the first time, the George Patsas Archive is being presented digitally through a bilingual (Greek/English) platform that incorporates interactive digital applications, including virtual tours of performances, interactive timelines and educational games. These tools aim to broaden public engagement and strengthen the project’s outreach both in Greece and internationally.
The project is implemented by Amusic FREEater with funding from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Department’s Laboratory of Philosophy, Theatre and Education.
A research initiative promoting drama education as an autonomous subject, an art form, and a methodology for approaching school curricula and learning.
The initiative aims to promote drama education as an autonomous subject, an art form, and a methodology for approaching curriculum content in secondary education. It also seeks to strengthen the presence of drama education in the final two grades of primary school, from which it has been absent since 2024. At the same time, the project fosters the development of social skills such as conflict resolution, teamwork and active listening, as well as aspects of emotional intelligence including empathy, self-awareness, self-regulation and motivation, with the broader goal of improving the school climate.
Translations of Ancient Drama in the New Millennium
PROTEUS 21 maps the translation landscape of ancient drama performances in Greece during the 21st century. It examines the translations used in more than 200 productions from 2000 to the present, exploring the linguistic, stylistic, aesthetic and cultural choices that have shaped contemporary theatrical practice.
In at least 200 productions of ancient drama staged in Greece since 2000 by a wide range of theatrical organizations, numerous translations have been employed: older or newer, previously used or original, published or even unpublished.
Regardless of their final dramaturgical or performative use, these translations reflect a broad spectrum of linguistic and stylistic choices, translation practices and theoretical approaches to translation.
At the same time, they reveal the diverse socio-political, cultural and aesthetic conditions that have contributed to shaping each theatrical event.
The project systematically collects and documents the publishing, performance and critical reception data associated with these translations and subsequently evaluates the qualitative dimensions emerging from the quantitative evidence.
Among the issues examined are the relationship between older, already established translations and newer original versions, the frequency with which particular translations are used in relation to specific plays, theatre organizations or directors, as well as broader questions concerning translation theory and practice.
The mapping of the translation landscape of the twenty-first century necessarily and inevitably draws upon the translation legacy of the previous century.
Community Theatre and Environmental Pressures in the Coastal Communities of the Mediterranean
The THEATRE2SEA project explores the relationship between community theatre and the environmental pressures faced by coastal communities across the Mediterranean. Implemented within the framework of the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Modules programme, it highlights the potential of theatre as a tool for education, awareness-raising and social engagement around critical environmental challenges.
