WOMEN OF ZALONGO

The grant recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts, this contemporary Greek play is inspired by the playwright’s Greek grandmother and her childhood memories prior to her immigration to the US in 1915. Family secrets, and intergenerational dynamics are woven into the lives of four generations of women whose family line reaches back to the heroic women of Zalongo.

Synopsis

Women of  Zalongo , parallels  the  ongoing  cycle  of  intergenerational trauma  in  Angie’s  Greek  family.  Past and  present  intersect  as  the  women  are  called  to  tell the story of their ancestors (Dance  of  Zalongo). In the present day, Angie’s mother Charis’s short term  memory  diminishes  and long  term  memory  surfaces,  revealing  her secrets of shame swept  under  the rug.  Balkan  music  and  dance  weaves  the  women’s  parallel stories  revealing  the  ongoing  fight  for the truth and autonomy.

The play vacillates between the early days of the First Balkan War (1912-1915) to present day. It requires minimal or no set and minimal furniture. Time is fluid. The play examines the relationships between the women in families and how trauma is passed down family lines until we decide to stop perpetuating the cycle of abuse. The cast  consists  of  10  women and  1  man. The ages of the women are :1 Female 60-80’s, 4 Females 40-60’s, 4 Female 20-30’s, 1 Female (appearing) 10-16, and 1 Male 40-50’s (plays multiple roles). The style and structure of the production borrows from classic Greek plays, opening with a prologue, using the theatrical conventions of addressing the audience, Greek chorus and prologue with contemporary language against multiple time periods. Costumes help to differentiate the Old World from the Present World.

Inspiration

The play was inspired by my Yiayia, Helen Raftis Donlou’s stories about her childhood during the First Balkan War, 1912-1915. The second source of inspiration comes from the 1803 Souliotises Mass Suicide, which is the historical framework of the play. At the cliffs in Epirus, Greece the women refused to live a life enslaved by the Ottoman Empire and jumped off the cliffs with their children seeking freedom in the afterlife. The tragic event has been commemorated by the Dance of Zalongo, which was taught to Greek school children and the 42 foot high white stone sculpture, Monument of Zalongo, by George Zongolopoulos, 1961, which sits at top of the hill where the women jumped. Many painters also depicted the event throughout history. Lastly, the play is inspired by the ongoing fight for women’s rights to choose and the ability to live free from oppression, abuse and violence. With this hope, it celebrates the contemporary women, immigrants from all cultures who carry on this legacy of heroism, every day.  

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