At a press conference held in the Rhodes City Council meeting room, the 1st Rhodes Amateur Theater Festival was officially presented, an initiative of the Municipality of Rhodes’s Department of Culture, which aims to become a new, dynamic institution for the island’s cultural life.
The Festival will take place from November 2 to 30, 2026, at the Rhodes Municipal Theater, bringing together, for the first time, Rhodes’ amateur theater groups in a grand celebration of theater, creativity, collaboration, and culture.
The press conference was attended by Stathis Manousakis, Deputy Mayor for Culture; Giorgos Pattas, Deputy Mayor for Communications and Acting Deputy Mayor for Culture; Susana Kardoulia, President of the Local Community of Rhodes and President of the Museum of Modern Greek Art of Rhodes, and Nansy Tryposkoufi, who spoke about the significance of the event and the need to support amateur theater.
The Deputy Mayor for Culture, Stathis Manousakis, emphasized that the Festival marks the beginning of a new cultural institution for Rhodes, which aims to unite the island’s theater groups and highlight their significant contribution to culture, stressing that “culture belongs to all of us and becomes a reality when it is created collectively.”
For her part, the Director of Culture, Nancy Tryposkoufi, spoke about how the idea for the Festival came about and the importance of collaboration among all theater groups, noting in particular that “there are ideas that bring together people with a shared vision and become a reality. The 1st Rhodes Amateur Theater Groups Festival is one such idea.”
Next, representatives of the theater groups shared their thoughts and feelings about the creation of this new event. Speakers included Vasso Angelakou from the Manos Katrakis Theater Workshop, Maria Manioti from the ANEMI Theater Group, Father Emmanouil Sklivakis, and Yiannis Niotakis from the Cretan Brotherhood of Rhodes Theater Group “Psiloritis,” Zoe Kontogiannou from the Archangelos ASTIR Amateur Theater Workshop, Eleni Lefaki from the Taxiarhon Archangelos Parish Theater Group of Rhodes, Kostas Georgiou from the PRAXIS Theater Group, Vasilis Potsou from the “Orion” Youth Association of Paradeisos, and Nikos Oikonomou from the Maritsa Cultural Association “O Keronaitis,” expressing their joy and optimism for this new joint effort.
The participating groups:
The following groups are participating in the 1st Rhodes Amateur Theater Festival:
- ArtThalies Theater Association
- Dodecanese Theater Association KOINTA
- ANEMI Theater Group
- Maritsa Cultural Association “O Keronatis”
- Paradisos Youth Association “Orionas”
- Theater Group of the Archangel Taxiarhon Parish, Rhodes
- Archangelos Amateur Theater
- Archangelos Amateur Theater Workshop ASTIR
- “Agiouto” Theater Association
- “Psiloritis” Theater Group of the Brotherhood of Cretans of Rhodes
- “Praxis” Theater Group
- Manos Katrakis Theater Workshop
Opening and Parallel Events
The Festival will open on November 2, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. at the Rhodes Municipal Theater, with the distinguished actor and director Grigoris Valtinos as the official guest of honor, whose presence lends special significance to this inaugural event.
Alongside the theatrical performances, the audience will have the opportunity to attend theater workshops led by acclaimed artists and creators, such as Nikos Hatzipapas, Antonis Chalkias, Elli Paraskeva, Aimilios Cheilakis, and Athina Maximou, as well as a special exhibition of photography and theatrical costumes in the foyer of the Rhodes Municipal Theater, featuring rare photographic material and costumes from historical productions of the National Theater of Rhodes, highlighting the region’s long theatrical tradition.
During the press conference, the Festival’s official website was unveiled, <a href=
