Speaker
Description
The theatre/drama project “Teenagers’ view” at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation has systematically implemented the teaching of Modern History through documentary theatre. According to the National Curriculum, teaching History aims at creating active, democratic citizens, with critical thinking skills and historical consciousness, people able to understand the causal relations between facts and contemporary reality. History should therefore be approached not as a “foreign land” but as a land of one’s own, bearing a new personal meaning. Theatre/Drama encourages a hands-on approach of controversial historical and social issues (usually left out of classroom discussions). This specific project is based on research, and includes lectures, theatre workshops, a performance, and a follow-up discussion. From 2016 to 2023, five such documentary theatre performances have been presented to the educational community on topics such as terrorism, Europe and the Cold War, the reception of the Greek Revolution, Environment and Social Justice, and the 3rd Greek Democracy.
CV
Anastasia Merkouri
Anastasia Merkouri holds a Bachelor from the Dept. of Greek Language and Literature of the University of Athens (Honors in Classics). Her fields of study are the reception of Ancient Greek Drama, documentary theatre in education, teaching of Modern History. She was a member of TENet-Gr. She is a member of “Nea Paideia” association, an individual member of IDEA. She coordinated the Advisory Committee of “Ancient Drama in 21st century school” and she has been running the project “Teenagers’ view” in MCF Foundation. She works as a Greek Language teacher and as a youth theatre/drama facilitator in Athens College.
