New York, Sofia, Plovdiv, London, Rome, Greece. All the aforementioned stations have welcomed the theatrical work of Ioli Andreadi, a directing and writing body that runs through ancient tragedy [Eleni, Ion], medieval myths [The Cenci Family], modern dramaturgy [Artaud / Van Gogh, Bone], great literature [War and Peace, Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice].

The Greek directress, one of the few creators who can boast of having an uninterrupted presence outside Greece – a presence endorsed by the famous theater critic Peter Danish on the world’s leading theater site broadwayworld.com – spoke to ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ a few days before the premiere of Molière’s Misanthrope at the Philip Theater in Kypseli and the trip to New York with the play “Genica – the Jet of My Blood”, performances that she creatively signs together with her long-term collaborator, Aris Asproulis.

In recent years, you have been moving extensively outside of Greece, in different countries in fact. When did your presence abroad begin?

My presence abroad coincides with my presence from 2007 to 2014 in London and New York. In London, I studied directing and made performances as a writer and director (RADA, The Yard Theatre, Old Red Lion, etc.). In New York in 2011, we set up an international Directors’ Workshop, in the framework of which I collaborated with eleven other colleagues from various countries. It ran in 2012 and 2013 as a Festival in New York and then went to Rome and Greece. I was the artistic co-director for two years. At the same time, I also participated in the important Lincoln Center Theatre Director’s Lab, which brought together dozens of directors from all over the world, forming a kind of cultural exchange and communication networks.

Ioli Andreadi with Aris Asproulis.

The contact with people and artistic events in these two cities never ended, it was simply that in 2019 there was a re-establishment through a friend who introduced me to a colleague of hers in New York, who happened to already know me, as a result of which the opening abroad found its way little by little and with me now based in Greece, through presenting our good works, naturally adapted to the audience of each condition and the wishes of the collaborators.

So my first performance outside of Greece – after my return to it – is Euripides’ Ion in 2019 at The Tank theater with Dimitra Hatoupi, Konstantinos Bibi and Nikos Touliatos, which was also our first collaboration abroad with Aris Asproulis. I had previously directed other productions within the framework of my presence in the previous years in the two cities I mentioned above – Epidemic, The return of the exile, Best Friends Forever, etc. – but after my return to Greece, this is my first foray into working abroad. We were embraced by the Municipal Theatre of Kavala and the Philippi Festival, with Thodoris Gonis, because that is where the performance was born.

Beyond any circle of contacts and the personal effort required, does a Greek artist have any kind of assistance when he goes abroad?

No, I don’t think so. In recent years, I have observed some activities that have a state character, more institutional, but I have experienced it as a very personal struggle, none of our efforts were made by any established mechanism to support artists. In my case, however, I must note that in a society where private initiative is increasingly emerging, the support of the George and Victoria Karelia Foundation, which we have had for the last four years, is equally – or even more – essential than some state support.

Dimitra Hatoupi in “Genica”.

Ancient tragedy, medieval stories, the Greek revolution, Antonin Artaud. How do you manage, together with your collaborators, to combine such different influences?

I drew themes from tragedy, classical literature, my interest in Artaud, who gave birth to four plays. Shakespeare and Molière. But also, thanks to Aris, from recent Greek literature and history. In 2022, our theatrical work for the Philiki Eteria traveled to New York. We are very interested in moving in a wide range of dramaturgy, it arises both from our own interests and from my education. I grew up with two parents who worked as university professors and developed an international opening and a significant path – in France, India, Cuba, Russia, China – and they gave me such stimuli. If you add to these trips that we made with Aris – e.g. My interest in Artaud began with a trip to Paris in 2014 and an exhibition titled “Artaud/Van Gogh” – and the very fascination that certain stories have for me is an answer to why I am motivated by different perceptions.

What does your artistic programming for 2026 include?

In Greece, we continue with Molière’s “Misanthrope” at the Philip Theatre in Kypseli, starting on March 11. Abroad, our most recent work, “GENIGA – the jet of my blood” is scheduled to travel abroad, specifically on April 16, 17 and 18 at The Tank, an opportunity that will allow us to also present “Bone”, which as a work is the starting point that leads us to “GENICA”.