Well-known artists speak about their work and share their views on contemporary art and how it reflects the issues of our time. Katerina Zacharopoulou approaches each subject with the aim of highlighting the language of art and giving voice to everyone involved in the broader conversation around contemporary artistic practice. The programme pays close attention to exhibitions of historical significance, exploring the relationship between past and present, modes of expression, artistic methods, ideologies, and the production of art.

"The Era of Images" travels abroad, continuing its dialogue with the world of visual arts, guided by the belief that art forms intersect and mirror the many facets of life.

This episode marks the beginning of a new thematic series exploring the relationship between theatre and the visual arts, with renowned American artist Robert Wilson as its central "narrator".

Katerina Zacharopoulou meets Bob Wilson at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, on the occasion of his visit for the staging of “The Threepenny Opera” at the Pallas Theatre. The acclaimed director speaks about his approach to the production, the new dimension he brought to the classic work, his long-standing relationship with the theatre, his visual orientation as a director, and his future plans.
He begins by discussing his fresh perspective on the play and the timelessness of its text, which he describes as “a story about greed and money.” Wilson draws connections between the work and today’s reality—economic crisis, banking instability—and notes that his goal was not to modernize the play, but to make its message even clearer and more accessible to contemporary audiences.

He recalls his first encounter with the piece in the late 1960s, when Stefan Brecht, son of Bertolt Brecht, invited him to direct The Threepenny Opera in 1969, recognizing that existing productions had veered off course. He also speaks about the 2007 revival at the legendary Berliner Ensemble, the theatre founded by Brecht in 1949, which again entrusted Wilson with directing the work.

Wilson shares his directorial vision and the visual interpretation he brought to the production—an approach shaped in part by his dyslexia, which has led him to place particular emphasis on the power of imagery. He discusses details like the surreal makeup of the performers, inspired by German artist Otto Dix, as well as the aesthetic references to Weimar-era cabarets and Marlene Dietrich.

He and Zacharopoulou delve into the play's lighting design, which Wilson himself created. He reflects on a past production at the Spoleto Festival, and how Luchino Visconti expanded his understanding of lighting as an expressive tool in theatre. Wilson also discusses movement, gesture, and his collaboration with the Kurt Weill Foundation, providing context on the historical and artistic roots of the play.

Looking ahead, he speaks about his upcoming opera “The Life and Death of Marina Abramović”, as well as his interest in the work of Belgian artist Jan Fabre.

The episode features rich footage from the Athens performance.

In the second half, the programme presents the exhibition “Common View”, organized by the newly renovated National Theatre of Greece.

We hear from:
– Yannis Houvardas, Artistic Director of the National Theatre
– Eleni Koukoulis, the exhibition’s curator
– Maro Michalakakou, visual artist, whose specially commissioned work now adorns the theatre’s public spaces.