Anestis Azas

The Shepherdess‘ Lover
by Dimitrios Koromilas

A youthful theatre company give us their stage version of the legendary romantic drama by Dimitrios Koromilas (1850-1898).


The product of a society in search of a cultural identity, caught between the ancient Greek ideal, the European model and its folkloric tradition, this romantic work brought the idealized past of the mountain and the sheep pen to life on stage in the last decades of the 19th century, right after the Western-style romantic comedy came into vogue. Romantic influences are evident in the 15-syllable verse in which the play’s mountain-dwelling heroes converse, and in the songs and melodies that imitate the folk repertoire.


This is Anestis Azas’ debut production. In it, the 29 year-old director who studied stage direction in Germany takes a lively and critical approach to Koromilas’ world of sentimentality, oaths, exorcisms and curses.