Marina Mavrogeni
AKIN
'I am Leaving...' by Zo | 2021
about the project...
Zo is an otherworldly hero, naive, raw, so unpolished that it shocks you. Incompatible with everyday life. Lonely, he shows in every way his need to communicate. He does everything to be the center of attention. And he succeeds. He reminds us that we all have a dark side and a light side inside of us at the same time, and we can laugh comfortably at it. His intention is to bring us into his world.
His anxiety is: to leave?
How many times have you thought about giving it all up and running away... Have you ever done it?
Our hero, in the name of Zo, that's what he wants, that's what he's trying to do. And he keeps threatening to leave. We see him at the airport, at check-in. With his luggage, his ticket...
Is he leaving or is he fooling us?
He knows that if he leaves he has no one waiting for him where he's going and no one to ask him not to go. So he threatens that 'I am leaving...' in case he hears 'please don't go'... Through the comic situations this creature experiences, you identify with his struggle to find company, a companion, someone to love him.
Above all, this project will touch us. To identify with the simple phrase 'I am leaving...'. To laugh at the innocence of the hero, as you laugh at a child when you know he is lying to you in the most innocent way.The physical obstacles and audience reactions are an excuse for small detours from his central goal. Whether he leaves or stays will be determined by the audience of that particular night.
'I am leaving...' started with a 15' version as part of a whole variety show that was performed in Athens during the 2021-2022 season.
reviews
'A human being, named Zo is about to leave, thinking about leaving, and it is obvious that he would prefer not to leave without company... a very social being who seeks connection with the audience, and indeed one can feel the connection not only through spontaneous dialogue, but also through the setting of the scenes. The audience feels it’s at the heart of this performance, as fellow players in this act. Zo's character makes contact with the audience and expects the audience to respond so that the responses can further the action. This is a brave choice because the performer is dependent on the mood of the audience and the audience takes partial responsibility for the performance. Thus, each performance probably varies somewhat according to the audience'.
-Naya Papapanou, boemradio.com
'A show where surprise is a requirement. The other is the interpretation of a role that can change. Not being the same. To become what the protagonist wants. The audience's reaction is another factor in the performance. A different theatre that doesn't follow the beaten track. It departs from classical theatre so much that it is so different that we would call it a pioneer in Greece'.
-Nikos Thomopoulos, filmandtheater.gr
'It tries to satiate the present, sucking in the moments like a delightful and addictive cigarette. He fears abandonment. He postpones and hopes. It seeks attention. He argues and argues with himself and the others in his life, who become more necessary than ever to him when he is plunged into his darkness. He carries burdens. Will he leave them or take them with him on his journey?'
-Ιoanna Petridou, parallaximag.gr
awards / distinctions
selected for the Fringe Italia Off Festival inΤhess Fringe Festival 2023 / 'Milano off and Catania off awards'
1st Best Performance Award / 1st Contemporary Artistic Cabaret Festival, Red Jasper Cabaret Theater, Athens, May 2022
original music
'I am Leaving' by Zo / The vision of Living / Vangelis Xypolytos
performance identity
'I am Leaving...' by Zo / 2021
Duration: 40'
Creation & performance: Marina Mavrogeni
Director: Gozde Atalay
Co-director: Stella Evangelia Kasoumpi
Original Music: Vangelis Xypolytos
Where & When: Mikros Keramikos Theatre (Athens, 2024), Thess Fringe Festival (Thessaloniki, 2023), Red Jasper Cabaret Theatre (Athens, 2022-23/premiere)