What does it take to create a documentary theater play about the Greek junta? How can a playwright draw on historical evidence to craft dialogue and imagine a theatrical world? SNFPHI awardee and acclaimed playwright Georgia Mavragani presents a first draft of her new play, Lagonisi, the product of a collaboration with cultural historian Christos Mais, and reflects on this project’s challenges. The play reconstructs the events of November 25, 1973, when dictator Georgios Papadopoulos finds out that he had been removed as leader of his “nation-saving revolution.” Drawing on press coverage, oral testimonies, and recent documentaries, Lagonisi presents a series of fictionalized conversations between Papadopoulos and his wife, Despoina. Through these imagined exchanges, the play explores how forces ranging from the Cold War to the student movement and football as a popular spectacle converged to shape one of the defining nights in modern Greek history.

Seating is limited. Registration closes at NOON on Monday, January 25th. If you do not have a Columbia ID, you will receive a QR code to access the campus. Register here.