Handmade and Recycled Theater Festival

The Handmade and Recycled Theater Festival (HRTFest for short) is the annual, multi-thematic event of Fabrica Athens, since 2013. It promotes and inspires in the visual and performing arts the handmade creation, the recycling of materials, and the minimal or even zero cost production techniques. It is aimed at creators, whose works were made with manual labor.The Handmade and Recycled Theater Festival is a unique institution of its kind in Athens, because it proposes and supports an alternative way of operating and creating. It brings together artists who belong to this genre, which the mentor of Fabrica Athens, Eugenio Barba, has called "Third Theatre". Artists and creators who claim through continuous work to create their space, find what they need and highlight their diversity.In the eleven (11) years of the festival, outlining some of its important moments, we should mention that:• It has been the subject of study by invited groups of sociologists, political scientists and anthropologists.• He has hosted a cycle of discussions and seminars focusing on the impact of the economic/social crisis on art while also participating in the Festival of groups involved in social theatre.• A "Small Festival of Street Shows" was held within the framework of the Festival with a circus, puppets, visual actions, manipulation of objects, etc. A two-day tribute to award-winning short films has been organized. It has hosted a large number of exhibitors and artisans, highlighting the beauty and art that can be created from recyclable materials.• Numerous educational workshops with a variety of educational content are held every year.• Joined the 9th HRTFest for the first time:1. The competition of fifteen-minute (15') performances for theater groups entitled Green Object. The color green, green objects, the concept of "green" were the source of inspiration for the groups.2. The Competition of New Theatrical Works. The HRTFest invited writers, with a new play that has not been performed to the public, to be submitted to the Festival. For the winning work of the competition, Fabrica Athens undertook its theatrical adaptation, through the annual Research Theater workshop.3. The Greek-German youth theater exchange entitled "Handmade & Recycled", which takes place in collaboration with the German organization Mostar Friedensprojekt and under the kind support of EGIN/DGJW - Hellenic-German Youth Foundation. This exchange is a new project designed by Fabrica Athens with the German partner, inspired by the institution of the festival and with the aim of giving stimuli to young artists to practically incorporate the concepts of handmade and recyclable into their art and life, to be part of a big celebration and to get to know each other and the rest of the festival participants.• At the 10th HRTFest, the festival becomes international for the first time with the participation of groups from abroad in its artistic program.• At the 11th HRTFest, the event expands its international character with an official call for participation to groups and artists from abroad. 14 artistic events from abroad were hosted (performances, seminars, lectures). Indicative, among others, hosted: the Italian director and theater person, Eugenio Barba, founder of the historic Odin Teatret and the actress of the group Julia Varley, co-founder of the Fondazione Barba – Varley (with the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Atene - Italian Educational Institute of Athens and the Municipality of Athens), theater organizations such as Brama Teatr, Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium, Educational Theater Center Replika, Teatro Nucleo, Antagon theaterAKTION, Rosalie Wanka (with the support of the Austrian Embassy in Athens), the German dance group die Elektroschuhe , Shakti Bhakti Indian Ensemble, Swiss dance group Dance Company One, Israel's Shlomit Fundaminsky, Italy's Katastrofa Clown and Residui Teatro.