Rainbow Theatre 

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Lord of the Flies

Our Mission

Welcome to Rainbow Theatre  founded with the aim of  familiarizing Greek students with the sound of the English language and the feel of the English culture. Ten productions have brought Rainbow Theatre a reputation of quality. The ideas change but the recipe is always the same; theatre is a universal language. As actors and teachers we are committed to both theatre and language while we strive to both teach and learn in a  better way. Rainbow Theatre, June 2000

A Brief History

Its first production was Fantoccini (in 1988), a thoroughly English play, though the Italian - sounding title. "Fantoccini" suggests a doll without strings and refers to its supposed human nature. The play combined puppets and actors in an ingenuous way.

The next three plays, Charlotte  Brontë's Jane Eyre, Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, were taken from the FCE set books and were aimed at the FCE students who make up the bulk of those who study English in Greece. The response has been phenomenal to say the least. Altogether over 10,000 students attended the performances in Athens and an equivalent number in the provinces where the Rainbow tours after January as a matter of policy.

A brief but successful pause from the classics was made with The Dragon and the Crocodile, a totally original play (though the theme might bring back memories from Fantoccini), with Mr. Punch and Karagiozis, representatives of two somewhat different cultures, fighting but finally resolving their disputes  at the Stadium of Peace and Friendship. The play was written especially for the 9-13 age group, using simple and understandable language, so that our young spectators could follow the story. And mind you, not only did they follow, but  they would even explain the entire plot with details to their teachers!!!

Now, since that recipe seemed to work for our audiences, a musical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland was staged the following year. Everyone was there; Alice (in various sizes, from very small to extra-large), the rabbit, the mysterious caterpillar, the King and Queen of Hearts, ...). Life-size puppets and actors acting, singing and dancing to original songs written especially for the play.

Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights is Rainbow's return to the classics. Especially adapted for the stage, the story of Heathcliff and Cathy unfolds before audiences.

The curtain rose again for the Tales from Shakespeare, where five stories were brought before your eyes.  Then, came Animal Farm, Treasure Island and this year we are working on a musical stage version of the Lord of the Flies.