Theatre

MICHAEL CACOYANNIS FOUNDATION

Michael Cacoyannis (1921-2011) was e Greek-Cypriot actor and director. “STELLA”, “THE GIRL IN BLACK”, “THE LAST LIE”, his trilogy “ELECTRA”, “THE TROJAN WOMEN” and “IPHIGENIA”, as well as “ALEXIS ZORBAS”, are just a few of his films, for which he   received numerous awards and distinctions all over the world.

Michael Cacoyannis set up the non-profit making foundation “Michael Cacoyannis” Foundation (MCF) at the end of 2003. His ambition was to create a cultural institution, with modern facilities and innovative ideas, which would reveal his own relation with art.

The ”Michael Cacoyannis” Foundation thus expresses the vision of his founder to create a centre of culture with its own distinctive identity, which would engage in the study, support and promotion of the Performing Arts, particularly Theatre and Cinema which he loved and served in Greece and abroad, for more than 50 years.

Τhe foundation’s Cultural Centre, a 6.810-square-metre facility in Piraeus Street, accommodates the foundation’s activities.   

MCF, stimulated by the international acknowledgement, experience and will of its Founder:

• Inaugurates cooperation with well-known Greek and foreign institutions for the production and promotion of spectacles, exhibitions, etc
• Brings to fruition exciting cultural projects, educational programmes, seminars and workshops
• Introduces new projects which support young creators to whose talent and aspirations Michael Cacoyannis had always been sharing

MCF’s aims are:

• The study, support and promotion of the arts of theatre, cinema of all times, as well as the archiving and study of outstanding works of theatre and cinema.
• The reinforcement of the European cinema with initiatives and proposals, as well as the promotion of the European culture and the cultural union of the Europe’s peoples. 

MCF fulfills its mission through: 

• The operation of its Cultural Centre, hosted in a modern infrastructure of European type, which covers a total area of 6.810 square metres. The Centre comprises: at the 2^nd floor, an amphitheatre of 330 seats, at the ground floor, a cinema of 120 seats and a special flat, multiuse “black box” hall, with intense red lines, which may host up to 70 seats in different partners. The Centre also comprises exhibition areas, two café – bars, a penthouse bar- restaurant (indoors and outdoors) and the MCF shop.
• The introduction of innovative projects in the area of Theatre and Cinema, to engage with emphasis to young artists – creators, small artistic groups and alternative dramatic repertoires.
• The establishment of scholarship programmes for young artists

The Cultural Centre of the Foundation is also capable of hosting a multitude of different events, including corporate conferences, seminars, presentations, exhibitions etc, while the forming of its halls make it ideal for contemporaneous events. 

The Foundation’s programme of events is available here

“THE ARTBASSADOR” recently had the pleasure and honor to visit the Foundation’s venues and discuss with its representatives. We wish them every success in their outstanding work.