Eva Oikonomou-Vamvaka’s appointment as artistic director of the Municipal and Regional Theatre of Kavala and the Philippi Festival marked an important change: she became the first woman to lead the historic festival and, at the same time, the youngest artistic director of the Kavala theatre.
A creative map of the city
At the beginning of her term, her priority was to learn about Kavala’s people and creative community. Through an open call to artists in the city, she sought to map the creative forces already present and build new collaborations. Her approach sees the cultural organisation not as a closed institution but as a meeting place for exchange and collective production.
A theatre with an educational role
In her plans, the theatre does more than present performances. It should act as an active cultural cell within the local community, offering workshops in acting, directing and movement, as well as programmes for teenagers. The Ancient Drama Workshop has a special place, searching for contemporary ways to approach ancient myths.
Another key goal is for the Philippi Festival to develop its own productions, create space for emerging artists and strengthen international collaborations through exchanges and artistic residencies in Kavala.
Kavala as setting and protagonist
The city’s distinctive architecture and history become an organic part of the artistic programme. Old schools, tobacco warehouses, underground passages, historic buildings and unexpected public spaces can become stages. Site-specific productions do not simply take place in Kavala; they enter into dialogue with its memory, routes and communities.
Invisible heroes in the foreground
The theme of “Invisible Heroes” placed people who usually remain outside the spotlight at the centre: workers, volunteers, nurses, teenagers, passengers and families. Through original productions, the festival sought to listen to their stories and reveal what is often lost in everyday collective life.
Responsibility, representation and new leadership
A woman’s presence in a position traditionally held by men has particular symbolic weight. For Oikonomou-Vamvaka, however, the aim is not selection based on gender alone, but the creation of more genuine opportunities and the gradual transformation of cultural institutions. Her legal studies, combined with her experience as a director, writer and actor, bring creative and organisational thinking together in this responsibility.