Performance, Activism and Citizenship: The Experimental Theatre of Thrace, Greece

Local communities and social groups nowadays interact to create a dialogic environment using the arts as a vehicle. The paper examines the case of the Experimental Theatre of Thrace as a pivotal Greek example of the emergence of new forms of citizenship as a performative expressive practice. A practice that gained momentum in many European countries during the twenty-first century, emphasizing the performative dimension of citizenship as well as the artistic value of activism. The article focuses on the landscape political action ‘Tea-time Europe’, a provocative artistic initiative and an ode to all people who drown every day in the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas during their attempt to reach Europe, pushed by wars, violence, persecution, and poverty. The ongoing global refugee crisis shows no signs of decline, and the Mediterranean Sea has become the graveyard for humans and hopes. In the light of the constant resurfacing of xenophobia and neo-fascist ideology in Europe the action ‘Teatime Europe’ is an urgent reminder of the creative power of autonomous citizen communities to recall by artistic means our shared humanity, inviting a rethink of mindsets about art and society. The case study presented consists of a paradigm of the creative collaboration between professional artists and communities, both benefiting greatly from the collaborative process. It provides us with an example of how artistic projects can regenerate communities and how communities are empowered to produce cultural artistic projects where the creative process promotes ethical and social responsibility, awareness, and social sustainability.