Biography

Playwright of the play "Tomorrow", which was staged by THEAMA in 2012, directed by Vassilis Oikonomou.

In 2015 she played the role of Mother Jack in Eugène Ionesco's "Jack or Submission" (Jacques ou la Soumission), which was staged by THEAMA in Athens and on tour in other cities of Greece, directed by Vassilis Oikonomou. The fine cast of this acclaimed production also included Aimiliani Avraam as Jack, Panos Zournatzidis as Roberta, Michalis Grammatas as Jacqueline, Manos Triantafillakis as Father Jack, Michalis Tamboukas as Father Robert, Giorgos Iliakis as Grandfather Jack, Mary Stamatoula as Grandmother Jack and Maria Mourelatou together with Katerina Kontomarkou as Mother Robert. Panos Zournatzidis was also the Assistant Director of the production and Marina Besiri participated in alternate cast for the role of Grandmother Jack.

In 2016 she was a member of the remarkable Chorus in Aeschylus' "The Persians", translated and directed by Vassilis Oikonomou in the acclaimed production of THEAMA, which was first presented at the Athens and Epidaurus Festival in the New Stage Nikos Kourkoulos of the National Theatre of Greece. Next it was also presented on tour in other Festivals and cities of Greece and it was welcomed as a significant artistic event of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, praised by critics and audiences who considered it even as the best production of "The Persians" they had ever seen. The role of Darius's widow and Xerxes's mother Atossa was played by two thespians together on stage: Christina Toumba, from her wheelchair, delivered the Queen's words and the deaf actress Christina Tsavli incarnated her physical presence. Darius was portrayed by Panos Zournatzidis, the Messenger by Michalis Tamboukas, Xerxes by Vassilis Oikonomou and Yiota Vei was the Chorus Leader. Chorus was also consisted by Aimiliani Avraam (Leader II), Marina Besiri, Michalis Grammatas, Giorgos Iliakis, Marina Stamati and Mary Stamatoula. "The Persians" (472 BC) is Aeschylus' first saved play and thus more ancient one, and a fundamental stone for the art of theatre. The play is also the only one of the ancient Greek dramaturgy with a plot inspired not by myths which were also serving on stage as a reference to contemporary social and political events and issues like the other plays that eventually remained to the later generations, but it is immediately related with the historical events of the aftermaths that followed the Battle of Salamis, where Aeschylus fought in 480 BC. A significant factor of Aeschylus' legacy in the "The Persians" is the fact that he wrote about the victory of his fellow-citizens Athenians through the tragedy of their opponents, the Persians, caused by the loss of innumerable men due to the defeat of their army, which was led by Xerxes for the conquest of Greece. Here Aeschylus pointed out the only value of life, which is based on the humility and love that people share the one with the other in opposition to the hubris of the arrogance of power (such as the one of Xerxes) which can lead to a megalomania that devastates lands and ruins lives. Through this narration of the story, Aeschylus spoke about everything concerning human relations and life as it was also later developed by other playwrights and above all Shakespeare in many ways, setting thus the very substance of theatre that has much to do with the realization and sense of one's place through the understanding of the position of others.

In 2018 (January - April) she played Périgord in Jean-Paul Sartre's play "Nekrassov", translated by Elina Daraklitsa and presented for the first time in Greece at the "Apo Michanis Theatro" (i.e. Ex Machina Theatre) in Athens, in a critically praised production by THEAMA, brilliantly directed by Vassilis Oikonomou, who also received kudos on his marvelous performance in the leading role of Georges De Valera together with Michalis Tamboukas as Inspector Goblet, Panos Zournatzidis as Jules Palotin and Katerina Kontomarkou as Demidoff. The fine cast also included Manos Triantafillakis (Beggar Robert, Sibilot), Aimiliani Avraam (Beggar Irma, Peruvian Mayor's Interpreter, Nerciat), Konstantinos Loukas and Hannah El Haj Omar as Police Officers, Angeliki Nomikou (Palotin's Secretary), Christina Toumba (Tavernier), Maria Mourelatou (Peruvian Mayor), Andreas Zikoulis (Mouton), Elie Driva (Veronique), Evangelia Schina (Mrs. Bounoumi), Stavros Zafeiris (Baudouin and Chapuis) and Marina Besiri (Party Guest) in excellent performances. This acclaimed stage production was also the first Greek one accessible to persons with sensory disabilities with SDH surtitles both in Greek and English, Greek Sign Language interpretation and audio description. The sublime music of the show was composed by Elias Kourtparasidis. The process of the production was also depicted in the documentary film project Enas allos... Sartre (2018).