The National Theatre of Northern Greece is one of the country’s largest theatre institutions. With its five indoor and two outdoor stages, plus the appearances it makes on tour and at festivals both in Greece and internationally, it has been a driving force on the cultural scene since 1961.
As a public theatre which repays citizens for the funding it receives through the art, education and entertainment it provides, and which seeks to remain open and accessible to society at large, the National Theatre of Northern Greece has forged a strategy which revolves around the following axes:
a wide-ranging repertory
high-quality productions for children and young people
· a focus on theatre education and educational activities
· strong ties and partnerships with cultural institutions, municipal authorities, bodies and social institutions
· an emphasis on social policy
· social activities which raise public awareness
· low ticket prices with a wide range of concessions
· a powerful international presence.
The NTNG’s annual programmes brings together its own in-house theatre productions with co-productions with other theatre organisations, stagings of productions from Greece and abroad, and a wide range of cultural events. The Theatre also stages long summer tours around Greece and winter tours of Northern Greece, and organises the annual Forest Festival, a major cultural event for Thessaloniki which includes concerts, theatre and dance.
Furthermore, the NTNG offers a wide range of activities in the context of its educational policy. These include performances for children, young people and infants along with educational programmes, theatre workshops, thematic tributes and retrospectives, lectures, public discussions, seminars, exhibitions and competitions for playwrights.
In addition, taking its social role serious and doing all it can to make theatre accessible to people of all ages, including those without easy access to live theatre, the NTNG engages in activities provided free of charge to special social groups. As such, it arranges performances in hospitals, institutions and prisons as well as running programmes in partnership with municipal social services, units providing care for the elderly, correctional institutions, drug rehabilitation programmes, and mental health and other bodies.
As a member of the Union of the Theatres of Europe and the International Theatre Institute, the NTNG has a robust presence beyond Greece and participates in international festivals, programmes, co-productions, projects and residencies. Emphasis is also placed on developing ties with South-Eastern Europe and the rest of the continent, as well as with Greek communities outside Greece.
Performing to an annual audience of 400,000, the National Theatre of Northern Greece embraces society, the local economy, young people, vulnerable social groups and local government as well as serving as an ambassador for Greece abroad.
