Artist statement
Was founded in 1991 in Athens. In 1996, it changed into “Omma Studio”. It is an artistic private non-profit association. Omma, in ancient Greek, means eye as well as glance. The selection of this name is harmonious with the choice of the theatrical direction, that of the experimental theatre where research work is the primary element and demands as a prerequisite and as a result a new point of view, a new glance.
Omma Studio presents indoor and street performances, site-specific projects, educational events, open discussions, workshops, exhibitions, as well as has translated and published theatrical texts and generally, organizes any kind of events that contribute to cultivation and empowerment of people. With more than 80 different performances has travelled several times in theatrical festivals all over the world and has been twice awarded (in Vologda, Russia, festival “Voices of History” and in Tehran, Iran, “Fadjir Festival”). Since 2000 Omma Studio has moved from Athens to the
island of Crete, in Heraklion city, because its members believe that artistic renaissance can happen starting from the Periphery.
In the last years, influenced by economic and political crisis in Greece, Omma started to get involved with what we call community theater, trying to connect communities by artistic work. It’s not only a question of people making theatre, but of using the craft of the artist to create connections.
The Greek Ministry of Culture, recognizing the good work, has funded several projects of Omma Studio (2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2020, 2021) and has included association’s community projects in the e-book, titled “Good practices in the field of culture for the benefit of local communities”.
The last years, Omma Studio:
– has organized in the frame of Tandem Fryslan, a community project called “Adeste”, about social and emotional isolation, inside the Roma Camp of Heraklion (3 & 4 November 2018). -has created the performance “Odyssey. The road to Ithaca”, a coproduction between Omma Studio(Greece), Zid theatre (Netherlands) and Teatro Potlach (Italy) and performed it in Greece, Netherlands, Italy (May and June 2019)
– In 2019 Omma Studio closed, as partner, the large scale cooperation project of Creative Europe “CARAVAN NEXT. Feed the future: Art moving cities”, about social community theatre and performing arts.
– Has been partner in Small Scale Cooperation project of Creative Europe, “Dreams traces. Travellings, Container”. Leader: Teatro Valmisa (Italy). Sep. 2020 – Feb. 2022 -Has participated in Erasmus+ projects and in a project under the Europe For Citizens programme.
In 2020, Omma Studio has established a Center for Theatre Anthropology in Greece, the honorary president of which is, Eugenio Barba (founder of ISTA).
Irene Koutsaki (actress, artistic project manager) was born in Athens in 1974. Since 1999 she is an actress in Omma Studio, taking part in more than 50 indoor and street performances, travelling in Greece and abroad, participating in international festivals in Serbia, Italy, Poland, Egypt, India, Denmark, Holland, Sardinia, Colombia.
The presentation – work demonstration “Theatre: A separate reality” she did in 2005 in Wroclaw, Poland, in Eastern Line Festival (during International School of Theatre Anthropology), was the occasion to meet Rena Mirecka (actress of Teatr Laboratorium of Jerzy Grotowski). The apprenticeship with her and the private work program she did with her in 2005 and 2006, changed completely the way she does theatre. She has translated to Greek the book of Thomas Richards, “The Edge Point of the Performance”, of Eugenio Barba, “The Land of Ashes and Diamonds” (Gavriilidis publications), and Iben’s Nagel Rasmussen, “The blind horse” (Dodoni publications).
She was project manager and artistic trainer for Omma Studio of Large Scale Cooperation project of Creative Europe, titled “Caravan Next. Feed the future: Art moving cities” (2015- 2019) and Small Scale Cooperation project of Creative Europe, “Dreams traces. Travellings, Container” (Sep. 2020 – Feb. 2022).
Irene Koutsaki was one of the 50 Idea Makers who were selected to go to Madrid, and join Idea Camp 2017 (“Moving Communities”).
She was selected to participate in Tandem Fryslan. In that frame she realized a community project titled “Adeste”, a festival upon social and emotional isolation with activities that took place inside of the Roma Camp in Heraklion. She was project manager for Omma Studio of the project “CLINK: Cultural heritage linking diversities in Europe”, under the Europe For Citizens Programme (2019-2020).
In 2021 she was project manager and artistic director of “CareStories. Walks to nurture care”, a project between Italy, Poland and Greece. The aim was to create a network of “cultural walks” addressed to people (especially elderly living in villages) that have been living long periods of stress, isolation and fear during the Covid pandemic.
Her motto is “Give Art a Chance”.