George Eugeniou

George Eugeniou[1] was born in Limassol, Cyprus. He came to London in 1950 to study theatre with the support of his eldest sister, Loula Ionnides, and her family.

He trained at Morley College, where he met Frank Drew, who gave him free lessons in diction and voice. With Drew's help, Eugeniou received a scholarship at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, where he won a Spotlight and a Webber Cup awards for his acting abilities.[3]

In 1957, Eugeniou founded Theatro Technis, which was neither commercial nor subsidised, with the help of a group of actors, workers and students, including Andreas Markou, Stelios Kyriacou, Medea O'Brennon, Andy Lysandrou and Spyros Kyprianou. Theatro Technis can be defined as a "radical and total" theatre as Eugeniou's philosophy is to break barriers between nationalities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, classes, ages and languages.[12][13] Eugeniou has totally dedicated himself to Theatro Technis, abandoning his career as a mainstream actor, apart from a few movies in the 1950s and '60s.

As Theatro Technis' artistic director he devised, directed and acted in numerous productions, often inspired by Cypriot or Greek artists and events. At Theatro Technis Eugeniou has staged: Ancient Greek Drama[14] plays that explore problems that confront the Cypriot community in the UK,[13] promoted new writing by Cypriot Greek writers like Stavros Lilitos[15] sponsored the staging of international plays by visiting companies like Griselda Gambaro`s `The Chinese Twins`, and Japan`s Mugensha Theatre Company.[16] and championing Justin Butcher's The Madness of George Dubya, reviewed by The Guardian's Michael Billington "Satire is all but dead on the London stage, so this show by Justin Butcher deserves the warmest of welcomes. Even if it is largely a topical update of Kubrick's Dr Strangelove, it had a packed house at this north London fringe theatre cheering it to the echo."[17] The successful run of “The Madness of George Dubya” at Theatro Technis led to its transfer to the Pleasance Theatre in Islington and also garnered support from celebrities such as Dustin Hoffman.[18]

Eugeniou was among the first to produce plays written or acted by black personalities such as Mark Heath, Harcourt Nichols, and Peter Blackman.[19] Eugeniou has helped hundreds of student from all over London and abroad, proposing work-experiences or internships, free of charge. His passion for alternative theatre remains a common thread in his work as he always believes that the creative spirit is not for sale.[13]

Theatro Technis, Crowndale Road - geograph.org.uk - 675198

Still marked by his Cypriot accent, Eugeniou staged a production of Aristophanes' famous satires, as Women in Parliament, in June 2013.[20]

In 1967, he initiated the Cyprus Week,[22] an annual festival to highlight the Cypriot culture and way of life in the United Kingdom and to create a greater awareness of the struggle of Cyprus against British colonialism and Turkish invasion of Cyprus.[23] He is also one of the founders of the National Federation of Cypriots in England, an umbrella organisation of more than one hundred Cypriot organisations.[24]

In 1968, he created the first Cypriot Advisory Service in the United Kingdom,[25] which has helped thousands of Cypriot migrants and refugees receive welfare benefits, education, or housing. He also instigated and helped build the Cyprus Villages Housing in partnership with St Pancras Housing Association in the late 1980s.[26] This "from life to art to life" philosophy is a cornerstone of his work.[27]

In 1969, George Eugeniou married Maroulla Sekkides, who became an actress with Theatro Technis. They have a son Aris, who is also dedicated to the theatre.

• George Eugeniou
• Camden New Journal's biography.
• Theatro Technis' website. Archived 28 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine
• Videos with George Eugeniou.
• Guardian article about a past production.
• Theatro Technis on King's Collections : Archive Catalogues : GREEK DIASPORA ARCHIVE.