Theater Museum (Athens)

The Theater Museum ( Greek Θεατρικό Μουσείο ) is a museum in Athens dedicated to the history of Greek theater . Together with the affiliated Greek Center for Theater Research (Κέντρο Μελέτης και Έρευνας του Ελληνικού Θεάτρου) it forms the most important non-university research institution for theater studies in Greece .

history

The museum was founded in 1938 by the Association of Greek Theater Authors, the chairman of which was the author Theodoros Synadinos . The first director of the museum became the theater historian Giannis Sideris . The aim was to present the history of Greek theater clearly and to contribute to an international network of Greek theater researchers.

A little later, a theater library was set up, which houses books and manuscripts of plays, programs, newspaper reports and theater reviews as well as international literature on theater studies. The research center and library have maintained a digital database since 1991, which is intended to facilitate access to their material.

Since 1993, the society has awarded a theater prize every two years for special services to Greek theater to actors and playwrights as well as prizes for direction, costume and stage design, incidental music, choreography and the translation of plays into Greek.

The Theater Museum is now located on the ground floor of the Athens City Cultural Center at 50 Akadimias Street. The Theater Library is at 7 Karamanlaki Street.

exhibition

The theater museum's collection includes stage models and backdrop designs, costumes, masks and props, shadow puppets, theater posters and photo, video and sound recordings of theater performances in Greece and performances of Greek works abroad. The exhibition also shows reconstructions of the cloakroom of famous Greek personalities from theater and opera such as Melina Mercouri and Maria Callas . The focus of the exhibition is the Greek theater of the 19th and 20th centuries and the modern reception of ancient theater .

The Theater Museum offers a free guided tour program for children and adults.

Web links

• Information about the museum on the website of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Tourism (English, Greek)

Coordinates: 37 ° 58 ′ 54 ″  N , 23 ° 44 ′ 3.7 ″  E