'' The One My Soul Loves'' from Israel opens Nicosia International Festival

Itai Segal’s latest play is based on the terrorist attack at the Bar Noar (LGBT Centre) in August 2009 in Tel Aviv. Ami Rahav (starring also in Netflix’s Unorthodox) stars as Jonathan, the gay son of an everyday loving family. A family, however, with secrets and wounds from the past, anxieties and destructive prejudices. After the savage shooting, Jonathan lies unconscious in hospital, and no one can explain to his mother what her only son was doing in a gay bar. And so begins a family drama at the centre of which is a religious 17-year-old boy, who soon finds himself forced by his family to undergo conversion therapy.

A ten-member cast will bring the harrowing story to life in Nicosia, performing in Hebrew with subtitles in Greek and English. Supported by the Embassy of Israel, the performance will take place for one night only, starting at 8.30pm and lasting for a chilling 90 minutes.

Israel’s performance is one of the many acts that are part of the Nicosia International Festival’s programme this year and throughout November and December numerous music, dance and theatre performances will add colour to the capital.

The One My Soul Loves

Theatrical performance by the HaBima- National Theatre of Israel. Opening act of the 3rd Nicosia International Festival. October 28. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 8.30pm. In Hebrew with subtitles in Greek and English. www.soldoutticketbox.com

The Queer Archive Festival #2 is coming back to Athens

After last year’s great success, The Queer Archive Festival is back again in June 2021 (03-06.06.2021), hosting a great celebration of Athens’ rich and vibrant queer culture, with the support of Onassis Stegi for a second consecutive year.

Designed to celebrate the very best of queer arts and culture, The Queer Archive Festival raises the curtain on another rich program of dazzling and provocative multimedia experiences from 3-6 June 2021. Open and accessible to all, our second festival edition remains focused on highlighting talent, encouraging creativity, promoting engaging and progressive contemporary art, which reflects modern queer culture, and ultimately creating a bustling hub that praises diversity and supports social inclusivity.

The festival is once again supported by the Onassis Cultural Foundation that considers culture as a meeting ground for human aspirations and freedom of expression, and supports the LGBTQIA+ community’s self-evident rights through its initiatives. This year, The Queer Archive Festival expands its partnership with the Onassis Foundation, as the Onassis AiR international arts research program offers hospitality and creative conversations for festival guests with the large and international family of artists who are creating through Onassis AiR research journey in the Arts.