This is a tender situational comedy brimming with spirit that highlights the warmth and humor of traveling theater troupes, that is, the well-known “boukoukia” that form the roots of modern theater.
A few words about the play “He Who Saves Himself Is Saved”
The charming theater director Don Gennaro and his troupe arrive at a tourist destination for a tour, bringing with them rehearsals, chaos, minor misunderstandings, and a commotion that disrupts the quiet daily life of the town. Alberto, the producer of the “off-off-Broadway” troupe, is in love with the mysterious and beautiful Bice, unaware that she is married and pregnant. The members of the troupe—flexible, humorous, and down-to-earth, help him navigate this complicated situation, while the entire troupe tries to put together a new show to be performed that very same evening, following the failure of the previous one.
As the rehearsal progresses, the story of the play they’re preparing begins to mirror their own lives: pregnancies, identities, secrets, and a series of misunderstandings all become entangled, while even the police are called in to restore order. The characters strive to maintain their dignity amid a chaotic universe full of twists and turns, affirming the essence of situational comedy.
The play is a lively story, full of rhythm, which reflects fiction within reality and vice versa, and honors theater people, highlighting their tenderness and resilience.
More than just a comedy, it is a tribute to the traveling troupes, to those wandering actors who brought theater to every corner, long before cinema and television became part of everyday life. A tradition shared by Italy and Greece, deeply rooted in the collective memory. A journey through time, from Thespis to the Commedia dell’Arte and the traveling troupes, to the true, authentic form of theater: nomadic, vibrant, human.
Production Credits
Translation – Direction: Tamilla Koulieva
Set Design: Anna Bizas
Costumes: Aleya Papageorgiou
Lighting: Katerina Maragoudaki
Music: Michalis and Pantelis Kalogerakis
Choreography and Movement: Antonia Oikonomou
Assistant Director: Penny Papageorgiou
Music Curation: Tamilla Koulieva
Photography: Giorgos Kalfamanolis
Head of Artistic Programming & Communications: Elina Lazaridou
Production Communications: Antonis Kokolakis
Public Relations: Margarita Marmara
Communications Department: Olga Komninou & Ioanna Zozifa Pengou
Tour Management & Organization: Vlassis Theodoridis & Giannis Rodopoulos
Starring: Dimitris Papanikolaou, Thanasis Kourlambas, Danae Pappa, Michalis Panadis, Panos Kladis, Iason Vrochidis, and Tamilla Koulieva.
