THIS September, locals and tourists can look forward to two months of top quality performances as part of the annual International Kypria Festival.
Organised by the Ministry of Education and Culture, a select panel was placed in charge of choosing the very best out of 89 proposals from various local and international companies.
With a final selection of 14 shows to be staged at theatres around Cyprus, the festival is geared towards a wide audience, with a variety of theatre, dance and music performances on the agenda.
Approximately €1.5 million has been spent organising the event in total, with great attention placed on pleasing all tastes.
“There is a plethora of options to choose from,” says Education Minister, Andreas Demetriou. “We have tried to make use of special venues of historic and archaeological importance to stage the events including Aphrodite’s Temple in Kouklia and the Ancient Curium Amphitheatre in Limassol.”
The festival will begin on September 1 at the D’Avila moat in Nicosia with a concert dedicated to the life and works of late Cypriot composer, Marios Tokas. Crowds will get to hear the sounds of the Marios Tokas orchestra along with singing by Greek stars, Giorgos Dalaras and Stelios Dionysiou.
“We have not chosen works directed towards a niche audience but instead aim for the performances to appeal to young and old crowds from all walks of life,” added Demetriou.
“The aim of the festival is to educate and enrich the life of the general public while giving them the chance to see the very best of what is out there without being too extreme in our choices. We have certainly tried to be innovative but we cannot stray too far away from things that appeal to the wider audience.”
Other noteworthy performances coming up as part of Kypria 2008 include a concert by the German star, Ute Lemper, renowned worldwide for her interpretations of Berlin cabaret songs.
Also on the festival agenda is a concert by the New Moscow Opera, a fun tap-dancing show by the acclaimed Australian Tap Dogs group, and a dance performance by the Russian Boris Eifman Ballet Company.
