Mission and Goals
Dear friend,
It has been already nine years since Vilia Hatzopoulou, Thodoris Atheridis and myself, founded the Theater of Changes (ToC). I feel the need to make a short account of the work that has been done so far and set certain goals for the future. ToC gives you the opportunity to study acting by selecting on your own the teacher you prefer and whose method will bring you closer to achieving your goal of becoming an actor. This system has already been a novelty amongst the existing working systems applied in Greece and it is satisfying enough that other drama schools soon applied a similar system. ToC’s flexibility regarding its academic curriculum, joined – maybe for the first time – professionals and amateurs of the acting world who realised after overcoming the first traces of awkwardness, that there is no real division between them. Yesterday’s amateur may become an excellent professional through hard work. In all cases, the issue – as far as their training is concerned – is for both the same: the role and performing it at its best. ToC gave the opportunity to actors and actresses that have studied in other drama schools, in the past, to continue with their training and keep themselves updated with new methods and techniques concerning their profession. Many of ToC’s actor – students take part in theatrical, movie and television productions. ToC’s students realize from the very first lesson that becoming a good actor requires hard work. In fact, very hard work. However, students learn that they must decide themselves when they feel ready to start their career and not transfer this responsibility to someone else to do so, on their behalf. Sometimes, this may lead someone to overestimate his/her abilities but other times actor – students decide soon enough to take matters in their hands and from this point of view, we are witnessing that many ToC’s graduates participate in theater groups all over the country. Our students follow ToC’s concept, which is based on hard work. Those students who have shown character, consistency and discipline have been awarded with scholarships and participation in international festivals, as well as free attendance at seminars given by some of the most important theater professionals. Amongst our primary goals is our cooperation with other corresponding theater organizations, contacts that will bring us closer to new cultures and techniques. For this reason the ToC organizes every July the International Festival of Making Theater (In.F.o.Ma.T.)
Another of our goals is the encouragement of our students to participate in as many as possible Acting Groups. Students make up a group, select a piece to work on (it may be a theatrical play or even an idea), rehearse it and finally present the outcome of this work at the Acting Groups’ Festival which takes place at the Theater of Changes every September. Last but not least ToC aimes at offering its students a consistently better level of knowledge within a pleasant and creative environment. Finally, I seize the opportunity to thank all 779 students who have chosen ToC for their training during the previous academic year (October 2006 – September 2007). Evdokimos Tsolakidis Artistic Director
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