About
THE THEATRE OF THE NO
NO promises. Just THEATRE. NO compromises. Just ART. No answers. JUST questions.
What we do
• English language theatre.
• New plays, new writers and creators from Greece and around the World.
• Classics of Modernist, Absurdist and Experimental Theatre.
• Coffee and Community in the Centre of Town.
• Music, Poetry and Performance Art.
Ambitious. Artistic. Athens
Why We Exist
Ambitious. Artistic. Athens
This project comes from love of theatre. We believe that art and theatre are so important to our development as a society and individuals, but are not appreciated for the value they bring to society – at the Theatre of the NO we support artists and value their work. The repertoire reflects a passion for Absurdist Theatre, Modernist Theatre and Experimental Theatre. We hope that people will appreciate seeing these plays in English, not just for educational purposes, but because they have profound meanings, they ask important and difficult questions, they reflect some of the most important innovations in the art of theatre, and they offer the actors, directors AND audiences of Athens a great opportunity for a new artistic experience. Along with these famous and/or previously performed plays, in our opening season we are including three distinctive, ambitious original plays submitted by writers from Greece and around the world in response to a call for submissions which generated a huge worldwide response. We will also stage two operas in 2024. Prometheus Bound by the great Greek composer Panagiotis Karousos and The Last Lunch by the Russian composer An Vedi.
Why the Theatre of the NO?
We are always being told “You can’t do that”, or “You should do it another way” or “This is not how things work here” … and the answer to those is also NO. We do it our way, we will try and we will see what happens.
We are NOT interested in following Hollywood, Disney or Netflix; we are NOT here only for English speakers only , but for all Greeks who love art; and we are NOT simply depending on famous names or familiar works. NO to conventions, comfort and cliché, NO to simply repeating what has been done before, NO to a past, present or future where art is not allowed to challenge audiences and change the world.
We view the theatre as a place meant to provoke thought, expand horizons, and deal with issues and dilemmas we are all facing in our daily lives. As such we welcome Athenians (and everyone in the city) to the theatre, where they will feel part of the global community, intermingle with people from all over the world, meet ideas they never thought about before and engage in conversation and discussions that will influence their lives. We are truly encourage the young people of Athens, who already make such a contribution to the arts here as both creators and audiences, to come and join us.
What makes us different?
We aim to be THE place to be, for young (and young at heart) Athenians, expats and theatrical types, and everyone else.
And we will always support new creative adventures and innovative, experimental theatre.
Who We Are
The theatre is run by Fail Better Productions, a nonprofit organization. The founder and all of the current behind-the-scenes participants are working voluntarily to create this new and important cultural hub in the centre of Athens.
History
We are on the street named after the “Marble Emperor”, Konstantinos Paleologos – the last Roman and Byzantine Emperor. He died in 1453, one year after the fall of Constantinople. There have indeed been many emperors, and many empires. But there is only one Theatre of the NO.
Here in the vibrant, lively and fascinating centre of Athens, one of the world’s oldest surviving cities, and the birthplace of western theatre, we open our doors to art. Of course there is only one Athens … and only one Theatre of the NO.
