AEF2023: Taverna Miresia – Mario, Bella, Anastasia

It’s that time of the year again, when Athenians start planning their summer holidays around the programme of the Athens Epidaurus Festival. The leading performing arts festival in Greece, and one of the oldest in Europe, returns between June 1st and August 26th for its 68th edition with a rich programme of events. As always, the main venues are the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the industrial complex of Pireos 260 and the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. Click here for our festival picks or head over to the official website for the full programme.

Greece in the 1990s saw a large wave of migrants come from Albania, after the neighbouring country witnessed the fall of Communism in 1991. Born in 1998, director and performer Mario Banushi emigrated to Greece when he was six years old. In his latest play, Taverna Miresia – Mario, Bella, Anastasia he recounts his experience of living in Greece as an outsider, away from most of his family who remained in Albania. “Miresia”, the Albanian word for kindness, was also the name of his father’s tavern, just outside Tirana. Banushi places the neon sign of the family restaurant on stage to illuminate his experience, memories, and recent grief due to his father’s passing. Renowned Greek singer Savina Yannatou joins the cast in this coming-of-age story of a generation of emigrants who feel that they exist between two worlds.