THE TRANSLATIONS - in Greek presumably
Markideion Mun Theatre, Paphos
29 April - 8.30pm
Tickets - https://tickets.thoc.org.cy/event/14229/?eventid=14229&showid=95274
The Translations of the great Irish theatre writer Brian Friel are presented for the first time in Cyprus, at the Central Stage of the National Theatre of Cyprus, directed by Patrick Myles.
Written in 1980, Friel’s emblematic work transports us to Ireland in 1833, during a period of radical external and internal upheaval. In an open-air rural school in Donegal, a small community is confronted with the first British mapping of the country and the anglicisation of Irish place names, as well as the replacement of traditional education by the new national education system. As the place is renamed and the local language is transformed, what was considered stable and familiar begins to shake, signalling the gradual loss of cultural identity and the experience of uprooting.
Through the clash of old and new institutions, Friel illuminates the complexity of language as a vehicle of historical memory and collective experience. He has described Translations as “a work about language,” but language here is not simply a tool of communication: it becomes a field of power, misunderstanding, imposition, and resistance. Mapping and naming do not function as neutral administrative acts, but as mechanisms that redefine a community’s relationship with its place. Friel’s writing, at times bitter and tender, harsh and sensitive, and at times lyrical and humorous, unfolds a reflection on language and the cultural character of a nation, with words revealing the limits, the faults, and the possibilities of communication.
The director of the performance, Patrick Myles, who also translates the work with his co-director Andreas Tselepos, approaches the pulse of the era with realistic precision, while activating a system of references that bridges 19th-century Ireland with colonial Cyprus.
Information
The performance uses peat aroma.
THOK informs the audience that the performance starts exactly at the scheduled time. In case of late arrival, entry to the performance is not possible. The ticket price is not refundable.
SUBTITLES
April 04 (English)
April 24, 2026 (English and Turkish)
April 25, 2026 (Greek)
May 15, 2026 (English and Turkish)
