1953

1953 is a dramaturgical exercise in three acts, grounded in the facticity of the present. It seeks to reimagine the Rialto Theatre as a unified, fluid space, dissolving the boundaries between stage and auditorium, inside and outside, day and night. From sunset to sunrise, the performance unfolds as a shifting landscape where the dramatized and the real are interwoven, transforming Rialto into a site of continuous mutation, through a counterpoint of actions, voices, and images.

Spanning 15 hours, from dusk to dawn, the work traces a path from the detail to the collective, confronting the very limits of theatrical experience in time.

1953, the year of birth of scenographer Valentino Joseph and of Julie the elephant, sets the coordinates for a composition that mobilizes numerous contributors through a wide spectrum of collaborations and technological means.

Concept / Direction: Christodoulos Panayiotou

With (among others) : Valentino Joseph, Stela Phyrogeni, Elena Topalidou, Stephanos Droussiotis, Androula Kafa, Christina Vantzou, Kristia Michael, Mihalis Shammas & The Pendulum Instrument, John Also Bennett, Alexandros Pissourios, Aggelos Charalambous, Alexis Vassiliou, Nicolas Stylianou, Marios Konstantinou, Christina Olympiou, Sofronis Sofroniou, Loizos Olympios, Andreas Antoniou, Andre Zivanari, Kyriakos Kyriakides, Theodoros Tzannetakis, Adonis Archontides, Limassol Philharmonic Orchestra (Giorgos Krasidis, Conductor), The Amalgamation Choir (Vasiliki Anastasiou, Conductor). 

Act One: 16:30 – 20:30 (31/10/2025)
Act Two: 20:30 – 22:30 (31/10/2025)
Act Three: 22:30 – 07:30 (31/10 – 1/11/2025)

Audience members may attend either part of the performance or the whole. Admission to all acts is free. Advance booking is required only for Act Two (20:30–22:30), while access to Acts One and Three is open.

After the completion of 1953, on 1/11/2025, the solo exhibition of Valentino Joseph Night Works and Other Studies opens at Pylon Art & Culture