High Security Prisoners in Greece Perform ANTIGONE

Under the harsh glare of a floodlight in a grassy courtyard surrounded by towering walls and barbed wire, a unique performance took place at Greece’s maximum-security Korydallos prison. The actors, dressed in cream-coloured costumes, were inmates, and so was their audience. The play was ‘Antigone’, an ancient Greek tragedy that delves into themes of free will, disobedience, and authority, striking a chord with those living behind bars.

“Tomorrow is not a dead-end,” the inmates shouted in unison as they took their final bow, hand in hand. This powerful moment marked the culmination of months of rehearsals for two dozen inmates aged between 24 and 63.

The theatre workshop, held within the sprawling Korydallos prison complex in Athens, has provided a much-needed escape from the monotonous and often grueling routine of prison life.

“You forget you’re in prison,” said Konstantinos Bougiotis, 37, who played the antagonist King Creon. “You stop being in this misery, looking only at bars and walls.”

Another inmate, 54-year-old Dimitris Kavalos, described the experience as liberating. “Every rehearsal was a taste of freedom,” Kavalos said. “I felt freedom in my soul.”

Since its inception in 2016, the workshop has seen around 250 inmates participate, with over 1,800 attending the performances. The impact of the program is profound, with one recently released inmate returning to participate in the performance, not wanting to let down his fellow actors.

Director Aikaterini Papageorgiou chose ‘Antigone’ for its relevance to the inmates' lives. The play, written by Sophocles around 441 BC, tells the story of Antigone, who defies her uncle, King Creon, to bury her brother according to divine law, challenging the man-made laws of her time.

“For those of us who are not in this world, to see this fervor that their minds cannot be imprisoned even though their bodies are is very inspiring,” said Papageorgiou. “It’s very hopeful for humankind, for its strength… and for redemption.”

The performance of ‘Antigone’ provided the inmates with a platform to explore life's philosophical questions and reflect on their own situations. “In real life too, we put on a show,” Bougiotis remarked. “Life is theatre too.”

For the inmates of Korydallos prison, this theatrical experience offered a rare glimpse of freedom and an opportunity for personal growth and reflection, proving that even within the confines of prison walls, the human spirit can soar.