Note from the director (Stelios Patsias)
In an effort to summarize in a paragraph the senses, the colours and feelings prompted by reading the play, I realize that it is impossible. A significant ‘why’ accompanies my efforts. Why do we always opt for violence and blood? Why are we accustomed to burying corpses? Why are we exhausting our imagination on how to destroy ourselves? Our acts follow and define who we are. Five actors and one musician on stage plant the seed of dialogue and invite us to openly talk about our share of responsibility and the cruel nature and intentions of human deeds.

Note from the playwright (Giorgos Adamantiadis)
An awful conspiracy of silence has been smothering this place. As if our true history is locked in a basement; to keep it out of the reach of children, who should never find out the truth. For there is no heroism, wisdom or philosophy in this truth. It is far from the sea, the olive trees and the wine. It is closer to the mountains, the cliffs and the pine trees. All our actions are defined by our history, though we hush up a significant part of it. It is more convenient to present ourselves as victims. This way, it is easier to wash away our crimes; a series of crimes that we have never answered for. And this time history wasn’t our judge.
By the end of the play, one of the characters asks: “What did you tell them, you fool? That you are a refugee? A victim? An innocent man? A teacher? An enlightened philosopher who attempted to re-write his history? Your history is written in your throat! You’ll never be able to eliminate the beast hiding inside you. It is there. It is breathing. It is waiting to come out. You can’t keep it locked. For the beast is the one holding the key”. This phrase is not addressed to any particular character of the play; it is addressed to Greece instead.

Note from the Group
Mount Olympus, 1925. Two brothers, fed up with any form of authority, decide to leave the city and seek refuge to the mountains to live as thieves. Totally cut off from the Western civilization, they organize themselves in teams and return to other forms of social gathering. They oppose all state and “parastatal” structures. Their fight against political corruption glorifies them in the eyes of the local people, and turns them into literary heroes in urban areas.

The two brothers run a double life. On the one hand they do charity work; they build churches; they provide for the widows and the orphans. On the other hand, they behave as local gang members; they demand a price for their services and threaten to commit mass murders when provoked.

The play’s objective is to leave the stereotypes behind and present the life of thieves from a different angle which would shed more light on the reasons why these historical facts which describe one of the darkest eras of the Modern Greek history were kept for decades at the margins of the national discourse.

The play is an attempt to show how  the landmarks and stories of the past can talk about modern sensitivities and define our relationship with culture. Here is an excerpt from the play that sums up the story and its spirt:

“You know, man, we do not kill defenseless people. We are thieves. We have enemies everywhere. We are cursed. Just like you. We’ve been cursed by society. As if society were flawless. On the contrary, it is full of loan sharks, squires, dealers and slave traders – all thieves – who feed on the blood of the poor. If these are all righteous people, then just let us be the villains in a society of dead souls. So, write down everything we do. Then you may send our achievements to the newspapers, and warn these righteous people about the consequences when they make the unfortunate suffer. Write it all down. As of  now”.

…Giorgos Adamantiadis (playwright and member of the cast) did not hesitate to talk about one of the pages of Modern Greek history that people tend to sweep under the carpet and pretend it never existed; it’s the period of thieves and their gangs. In Adamantiadis’ bright and vibrant play, the outcome of an extensive historical research, there are no heroes or villains. No one is innocent.  […] Stelios Patsias’ direction is just as accurate, plain, true and determined. He  [….] has made the best out of his five excellent actors […]. The play places the viewer in the uncomfortable position of introspection. As long as the audience, of course, has the guts to watch something that makes them feel uncomfortable, “forced” to focus on the alertness of the mind and senses…. Do not miss this play.
Review by Giorgos Myzalis, Ogdoo.gr

A very interesting performance that brings to the fore issues of opposition to the state apparatus, through the story of two brothers who live in the mountains of Olympus as thieves in 1925. MUTE reads the Greek history of the early 20th century unconventionally. In MUTE, social thievery is not idealized but it is presented as a reaction to the cruel exploitation of the state and the landlords (…).
Review by Efi Karahaliou, ToPeriodiko.gr

Giorgos Adamantiadis. A graduate of the Department of History of the University of Ioannina and the Drama School “Dilos”, Athens. In 2009, he received a scholarship and attended the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (MA Classical Acting). In 2010, he traveled to Moscow in the context of the Moscow Art Theater’s retraining on the Stanislavsky method. He worked as an actor for two years in London, with the Hamstead Theatre. Since 2013, he has been working in Athens as an actor and acting teacher at the Drama School “Dilos”. He is the founder of the theatre company Memento Mori. Mute is his first play.

Stelios Patsias . Studied acting at Drama School “Dilos”. He works for theatre, television and cinema.

Giorgos Karanikolaou. Began his drum lessons at the age of sixteen in the State Conservatory. He has worked at the Opéra Conservatoire and the Musical School of Nea Filothei.

Pavlos Iordanopoulos. After graduating  from Athens Conservatory Drama School, he has  participated in many awarded films and theatrical performances. In 2018 he made his debut as a director in the experimental film People.

Chronis Barbarian (Chronis Manikas) . Studied History & Archaeology in the National Kapodistrian University of Athens and Theatre in Athens Conservatory Drama School and in the Drama School “Dilos”. He was involved with boxing and other martial arts. He has attended dance seminars (ballet, contemporary dance, butoh)and worked for theatrical performances like Master and Man (Amalia Bennet), Hector Malo, The Last Day of the Year (Cannes 2018 first award), among others.

Nikolas Alexiou. Graduated from the Department of Theatre Studies of the University of Patras and from the Drama School “Dilos”. He also holds a diploma in Byzantine music .

Alexandros Siatras. A graduate of the Department of Digital Systems of the University of Piraeus and Athens Conservatory Drama School..

Dimitris Logothetis. Works mainly on Greek television productions as director of photography.

Maria Kokou In 2014 she completed her studies in economics at the University of Patras and in 2016 she graduated from the Drama school Dilos .

Maria Palantza. Graduated from the University of Hull (BA Theatre Studies and attended the Motley Theatre Design Course, under the direction of Alison Chitty. Her work as a set and costume designer for theatre, TV and cinema includes projects for a variety of independent theatre groups in Greece, Spain and England.

Androniki Tsatsaroni. A graduate of Communication and Mass Media at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Over the last three years, she has been actively involved in the communication and promotion of performances and art venues.