The GNO Alternative Stage is touring 12 cities across the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Macedonia, and Thrace.

As part of the programme “The GNO Tours Greece”

Four productions of the GNO Alternative Stage will be presented in November and December 2025 in Kalamata, Tripoli, Kiato, Trikala, Larissa, Volos, Kozani, Giannitsa, Veria, Serres, Kavala, and Komotini   

The Greek National Opera Alternative Stage will tour twelve cities across Greece, from the Peloponnese to Thrace, as part of “The GNO Tours Greece” programme. From the 4^th of November to the 2^nd of December 2025, the Alternative Stage will present the productions Karagiozis as Rigoletto, I Want to See the Pope!, Silence, the King Is Listening, and Isadora Duck. This extensive tour includes a total of 72 performances scheduled to take place in Kalamata, Tripoli, Kiato, Trikala, Larissa, Volos, Kozani, Giannitsa, Veria, Serres, Kavala, and Komotini, offering audiences across Greece a unique opportunity to discover the fascinating world of the Greek National Opera. The programme “The GNO Tours Greece,” is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to enhance the Greek National Opera’s artistic outreach.

This grand tour’s programme features the new shadow puppet opera Karagiozis as Rigoletto, Theophrastos Sakellaridis’ operetta I Want to See the Pope!, as well as two musicals for the whole family: Silence, the King Is Listening, and Isadora Duck. These performances are specially designed to be easily transported and performed in small and medium-sized venues, strengthening the GNO's connection with local communities and encouraging access to culture in every corner of Greece.

The productions of Karagiozis as Rigoletto and I Want to See the Pope! will visit twelve cities – Kalamata, Tripoli, Kiato, Trikala, Larissa, Volos, Kozani, Giannitsa, Veria, Serres, Kavala, and Komotini –, offering alternating morning and afternoon shows. The shadow puppet opera Karagiozis as Rigoletto is presented as a musical adaptation by Lina Zachari with a text by Dimitris Dimopoulos and Alexandros Melissinos. The production features the soloists Manos Kokkonis, Giannis Selitsaniotis, Marilena Striftombola, and shadow puppeteer Alexandros Melissinos. Theophrastos Sakelaridis’ operetta I Want to See the Pope!, directed by Natasha Triantafylli and arranged by Michalis Papapetrou, features Dimitris Sigalos, Vangelis Maniatis, Julia Souglakou, Chrissa Maliamani, Nikolaos Maraziotis, Marisia Papalexiou, and Antonis Kyriakakis, along with a small instrumental ensemble.

Five cities in the Peloponnese and Thessaly – Kalamata, Tripoli, Kiato, Trikala, and Larissa- will host the witty musical Silence, the King Is Listening by Nikos Kypoyrgos, featuring a libretto by Thomas Moschopoulos and stage direction by Theo Abazis. Performing in the main roles will be Haris Andrianos, Vassia Zacharopoulou, and Nicholas Stefanou, accompanied by a small instrumental ensemble.

Seven cities in Central and Northern Greece – Volos, Kozani, Giannitsa, Veria, Serres, Kavala, and Komotini – will have the opportunity to enjoy the musical Isadora Duck, with a libretto and direction by Stella Michailidou, and music by Kostas Vomvolos. The production features Lydia Stefou/Io Latousaki, Margarita Syngeniotou, and Marios Sarantidis, along with a small instrumental ensemble.

Admission to all these performances will be free for the public as part of “The GNO Tours Greece” programme, which is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to enhance the Greek National Opera’s artistic outreach.

PRODUCTIONS AND DETAILED TOUR SCHEDULE  – NOVEMBER, DECEMBER 2025

Shadow Puppet Opera • A Greek National Opera Alternative Stage production
Dimitris Dimopoulos, Alexandros Melissinos
Karagiozis as Rigoletto
Music: Giuseppe Verdi
Original libretto: Francesco Maria Piave
Musical adaptation: Lina Zachari
Text: Dimitris Dimopoulos, Alexandros Melissinos
Lyric translation: Dimitris Dimopoulos

Cast: Manos Kokkonis, Giannis Selitsaniotis, Marilena Striftombola
Shadow puppeteer: Alexandros Melissinos
Piano: Markos Kotsias / Marilena Souri  (25, 27/11)

The most famous and beloved hunchbacked jester in shadow puppet theatre, Karagiozis, is called upon to carry out… an operatic mission: to portray the most renowned hunchback in opera, Rigoletto! In the new shadow puppet opera production Karagiozis as Rigoletto, written by the prolific comedian, director, and librettist Dimitris Dimopoulos and the experienced shadow puppeteer Alexandros Melissinos, Karagiozis unexpectedly finds himself playing the lead role in Rigoletto at an opera house founded by the Vizier’s daughter in the saray (palace), all while learning with humour and a disarming innocence everything required to stage an opera.

The performance combines traditional shadow puppet theatre with excerpts from Giuseppe Verdi’s masterful opera Rigoletto, performed in Greek by three opera singers, humourously revealing the backstage of an opera house while imparting knowledge and abundant laughter in an alternative way!

The character of Karagiozis is brought to life with liveliness and originality by Alexandros Melissinos, making this performance a fresh and interactive take on shadow puppet theatre. Karagiozis as Rigoletto is a production suitable for both young and older audiences, promising to entertain and educate while demonstrating that tradition and the art of opera can be combined with humour and creativity.

Tour schedule:
6 November 2025 – Kalamata Dance Megaron (at  9.30 & 11.00)
8 November 2025 – Malliaropoulio Theatre of Tripoli (at 11.00 & 13.00)
11 November 2025 – Municipal Theatre of Kiato (at 10.00 & 11.30)
13 November 2025 – Trikala Municipality Cultural Centre (at  9.00 & 11.00)
15 November 2025 – Municipal Conservatory of Larissa (at  10.00 & 11.30)
18 November 2025 – Municipal Theatre of Volos “Vangelis Papathanasiou” (at  9.00 & 11.00)
20 November 2025 – Municipal and Regional Theatre of Kozani (at 9.00 & 11.00)
22 November 2025 – Giannitsa Cultural Centre (at 11.00 & 12.30)
25 November 2025 – Arts Centre, Veria  (at 10.00 & 11.30)
27 November 2025 – Municipal and Regional Theatre of Serres (at 9.30 & 11.30)
29 November 2025 – Antigoni Valakou Theatre, Kavala (at 11.00 & 13.00)
2 December 2025 – Komotini Concert Hall (at 9.30 & 11.30)

Operetta • A Greek National Opera Alternative Stage production
Theophrastos Sakellaridis
I Want to See the Pope!
Stage direction: Natasha Triantafylli
Score restored and adapted for chamber ensemble by Michalis Papapetrou
Music coach: Nicolas Vassiliou
Dramaturgy, adaptation: Elena Triantafyllopoulou
Sets, costumes: Tina Tzoka
Movement: Dimitra Mitropoulou
Lighting design: Christos Tziogkas

Cast: Dimitris Sigalos (Varonas) • Vangelis Maniatis (Latroudis) • Julia Souglakou (Mrs Latroudis) • Chrissa Maliamani (Anna) • Nicolas Maraziotis (Adrianos) •  Marisia Papalexiou (Rita) •   Antonis Kyriakakis (Dimosthenis)
Featuring the musicians: Ilias Skordilis (clarinet), Dionysis Vervitsiotis (violin), Dimitris Tigkas (double bass), Konstantinos Zigkeridis (bayan)

Everyone wants to see the Pope! After a successful run of sold-out performances, the legendary operetta I Want to See the Pope! by Theophrastos Sakellaridis is touring Greece under Natasha Triantafylli’s direction, featuring an outstanding cast of opera performers and musicians.

The operetta I Want to See the Pope! (1920), which generated strong reactions upon its initial release, fully explores Theophrastos Sakellaridis’ modern bourgeois themes. The composer also penned the libretto, which is a domestic adaptation of Maurice Hennequin’s farce Les Joies du foyer (1894). The plot features a newly married bourgeois couple whose relationship is disrupted during their honeymoon trip to Rome when the young wife expresses the desire to see the Pope up close!

The work’s style, language, characters, music, and rhythm reveal a captivating stage world where hypocrisy, exaggeration, exhibitionism, and the unquestioned idealisation of certain social institutions are sharply satirised. The audience witnesses a wedding, the expectations of the newlyweds and their relatives, and a Pope who –although he never appears– remains the unseen protagonist of the show throughout its duration, serving as a reminder of the fact that confusion, mix-ups, and the pitfalls of established values are often inextricable parts of human desire.

Tour schedule:
6 November 2025 – Kalamata Dance Megaron (at 18.30 & 21.00)
8 November 2025 – Malliaropoulio Theatre of Tripoli (at  18.00 & 21.00)
11 November 2025 – Municipal Theatre of Kiato (at 18.00 & 21.00)
13 November 2025 – Trikala Municipality Cultural Centre (at 18.30 & 21.00)
15 November 2025 – Municipal Conservatory of Larissa (at 18.00 & 21.00)
18 November 2025 – Municipal Theatre of Volos “Vangelis Papathanasiou” (at 18.00 & 21.00)
20 November 2025 – Municipal and Regional Theatre of Kozani(at 18.00 & 21.00)
22 November 2025 – Giannitsa Cultural Centre (at 18.30 & 21.00)
25 November 2025 – Arts Centre, Veria  (at 18.00 & 21.00)
27 November 2025 – Municipal and Regional Theatre of Serres (at 18.00 & 21.00)
29 November 2025 – Antigoni Valakou Theatre, Kavala (at 18.00 & 21.00)
2 December 2025 – Komotini Concert Hall (at 18.00 & 21.00)

Music theatre for young audiences • A Greek National Opera Alternative Stage production
Nikos Kypoyrgos
Silence, the King Is Listening
Libretto: Thomas Moschopoulos (in collaboration with the composer)
Transcription for small ensemble: Kharálampos Goyós
Stage direction: Theo Abazis
Sets, costumes: Kenny MacLellan
Lighting design: Nikos Sotiropoulos
Associate director: Eleana Tsichli
Cast: Haris Andrianos (King), Vassia Zacharopoulou (Muse), Nicholas Stefanou (Musician)
Featuring the musicians: Odysseas Siozopoulos (clarinet), Sofia Efkleidou (violoncello), Christos Sakellaridis (piano)

The brilliant musical Silence, the King Is Listening, by the distinguished composer Nikos Kypourgos, one of the most successful productions of the Greek National Opera, offers an immersive music theatre experience that introduces audiences to the enchanting world of music theatre. Its educational character, entertaining performances, and exceptionally direct musical language help convey the fundamentals of music even to uninitiated audiences, in the guise of a game.

The music king is never satisfied, no matter what pieces of music his court musician plays. The musician is roused from his despair by the Muse, who seizes the opportunity to return to a job she had not practised since the glorious eras of Schubert, Mozart and Bach. She enlists the help of the seven notes of the musical scale, inspiring the musician to write a wonderful piece – which once again fails to satisfy the king! It’s time, therefore, for the imagination to give (as always!) a solution…

The musical Silence, the King Is Listening is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Emperor’s New Clothes. Deftly poised between operatic traditionalism and playful postmodernism, this work is a perfect introduction to both young and older audiences of the concepts, techniques, and tools of musical writing. “Silence, the King Is Listening is not a work written for children. Only after its completion, some saw in it an educational character that makes it also appropriate for children. Therefore, in a way, what I’ve always believed became apparent: that the boundaries between works for adults and works for children are never too clear or too discernible", notes the composer, Nikos Kypourgos.

Tour schedule:
4 November 2025 – Kalamata Dance Megaron (at 9.30 & 11.00)
6 November 2025 – Malliaropoulio Theatre of Tripoli (at 10.00 & 12.00)
8 November 2025 – Municipal Theatre of Kiato (at 10.00 & 12.00)
11 November 2025 – Trikala Municipality Cultural Centre (at 9.00 & 11.00)
13 November 2025 – Municipal Conservatory of Larissa (at 9.30 & 11.30)

Musical for the whole family • A Greek National Opera Alternative Stage production
Stella Michailidou / Kostas Vomvolos
Isadora Duck
Text, stage direction: Stella Michailidou
Music: Kostas Vomvolos
Sets, costumes: Kenny MacLellan
Choreography, movement: Fotis Diamantopoulos
Lighting design: Christos Tziogkas
Video design: Babis Venetopoulos
Musical coaching: Christos Sakellaridis
Isadora: Lydia Stefou, Io Latousaki
Teacher – Narrator, Ms Hoity-Toity, Ms Papov: Margarita Syngeniotou
Mr Coup-de-Pied: Marios Sarantidis
Student, Swan, Papitsa: Matina Kaiafa • Student, Swan, Pipitsa: Georgia Kyriazi • Student, Swan, Young duck: Rafaela Tsobanoudi • Student, Swan, Fox: Iliana Yfantí • Student, Swan, Hunter, Colourful bird of the lake: Myrsini Petroutsou • Students, Swans, Colourful birds of the lake: Ioanna Loupeti, Anna-Maria Markopoulou, Eleni Fotou • Frog, Wolf: Christos Ntentis (Onel)

Featuring the musicians: Odysseas Siozopoulos (clarinet), Sofia Efkleidou (violoncello), Christos Sakellaridis (piano)

Following the tremendous success of its initial presentation at the Alternative Stage, and just before it takes the stage at the Stavros Niarchos Hall, Isadora Duck, written and directed by Stella Michailidiou with music by Kostas Vomvolos, will tour Greece, transforming small and large venues into a peculiar “swan lake”, where a petite duck will carve out her own path in dance.

The performance references a pioneering figure in modern dance, the “barefoot dancer” Isadora Duncan, along with classical fairy tales, such as Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling. Its heroine, the petite duck Isadora Duck, with her uniquely beautiful blue feathers, lives in Swan Lake, struggling to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true. Passion and the desire to dance are at the heart of this performance, which communicates important values in a simple yet effective manner, offering audiences a tender and at once cruel self-awareness adventure through music, dance, and humour.

The performance’s text is based on Stella Michailidou’s book of the same title, published by Kaleidoscopio Publishing.

This production is a perfect and entertaining introduction to the art of dance, suitable for both young and older audiences.

Tour schedule:
15 November 2025 – Municipal Theatre of Volos “Vangelis Papathanasiou” (at 17.00 & 20.00)
18 November 2025 – Municipal and Regional Theatre of Kozani (at 9.00 & 11.00)
20 November 2025 – Giannitsa Cultural Centre (at 10.00 & 11.30)
22 November 2025 – Arts Centre, Veria  (at 10.30 & 12.30)
25 November 2025 – Municipal and Regional Theatre of Serres (at 9.30 & 12.00)
27 November 2025 – Antigoni Valakou Theatre, Kavala (at 9.30 & 11.30)
29 November 2025 – Komotini Concert Hall (at 10.00 & 12.30)

The Greek National Opera is funded by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture  

Lead Donor of the GNO & Tour Programme Donor
Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)