Athena Stourna
Athena Stourna is a theatre practitioner and researcher. She completed a PhD in Theatre Studies at the Université de Paris III, under the supervision of Béatrice Picon-Vallin. Her monograph La Cuisine à la scène: boire et manger au théâtre du XXe siècle (Cuisine onstage: Food and drink in 20th-century theatre) was published in 2011 by the Presses universitaires de Rennes/ Presses universitaires François-Rabelais.
In addition to the historical and theoretical study of the interrelation between food and performance, Athena has delved into its practical experimentation as part of the international group “The Food Project”, where she has co-created food-related performances together with Kathleen Irwin, Anna Birch, Rachel Hann and other artists and academics from around the world. These performances have been presented at various international events, like The World Stage Design (Cardiff, 2013) and the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (2015).
As artistic director of the multinational Okypus Theatre Company, Athena has directed and designed performances which have been mounted in theatrical and non-theatrical spaces (museums, archaeological sites, and public spaces) in Greece, the Czech Republic, Wales and Argentina.
Athena teaches Scenography, Theatre History, and Theatre Directing at various universities in Greece and Cyprus. In June 2016, she participated at the Mellon School of Theatre and Performance at Harvard University.
Contribution
Article
Food on the Stage in Periods of Scarcity: Aesthetics or Provocation? p-e-r-f-o-r-m-a-n-c-e 3(1-2).