Karagiozis

Three Classic Plays

translated and introduction by Kostas Myrsiades and Linda Myrsiades

Three classic works from the Greek Karagiozis Folk/Popular Theater are presented here in new English translations for the first time to celebrate 200 years of documented Karagiozis performances in Greece.

“The Hero Katsandonis” by Kostas Manos — one of the most famous and rare heroic texts; a three-night performance treating the heroic exploits of the Greek hero of 1821 against the Albanian tyrant Ali Pasha.
“Alexander the Great and the Cursed Snake” by Markos Xanthos — a cultural text that mixes elements of the myth of St. George, Alexander the Great, and the Byzantine hero Digenes Akritas.
“Karagiozis Baker” by Yiorgos Haridimos — one of the best traditional comic texts for which Karagiozis is deservedly beloved, translated directly from an actual performance.

These three plays provide examples of all three types of performances developed by Greek players. The translations not only cover the range of text types played over the course of two cnturies, but represent the work of three of Greece’s most important players in texts collected over a 65-year period from 1924 to 1989.