Creator of the year (2018)

Choreographer and movement director Panayiotis Tofi receives the award ‘Creator of The Year’ by Cyprus Theatre Organization for his artistic versatility, imaginativeness and boldness towards experimentation, during the year 2018. The award will be given by the Greek theatre director Takis Tzamarias.

Pubished by Cyprus Theatre Organization:

The choreographic and movement creations of Panayiotis Tofi, under the guidance of different directors during the year of 2018, highlighted his artistic versatility, originality and boldness for experimentation, emphasizing the importance of the art of dance and movement in theatre.

His work on movement in the production of the work ‘Sofia, a bee’, written and directed by Dimitris Baslam, stood out due to the simplicity of gestures, the naturalness and its contribution to the playful atmosphere of the play.

The movement directing in Duncan Macmillan’s ‘Lungs’, directed by Maria Iole Karolidou, was exceptional. By appropriately organizing the physical action of the actors in brief movement episodes, he managed to communicate the internal tension and emotional state of the two actors into simple, abstract physical manifestations.

In the play ‘Psychology of Syrian Spouse’ written by Emmanuel Roidis, directed by Paris Erotokritou, Panayiotis Tofi contributed effectively to the creation of a unique narrative, an continuous physical activity, and endless discourse. Obtaining erratic movements, fast paces and precise gestures, he helped to shape diverse surrealist and grotesque forms.

In Euripides’s work ‘Alcestis’, directed by Paris Erotokritou, he converged with the director in a contemporary reading of the text, while succeeding in depositing an autonomous and well-studied movement research. His aesthetic education allowed a poetic naturalness that assisted the viewing of the play, without ay distractions in relation to the essence and goals of the overall event.

His highly inventive proposal on the production of ‘Crocodile Streets’, a performance based on the life and work of Bruno Schultz, conceived and directed by Melita Kuta and Haris Kafkaridis, was a major contribution to the representation of the paradoxical Bruno Schultz universe. Under his direction, the actors’ bodies radiated intensity, theatricality, sensuality and emotion, creating a collage of dreamy shapes and events.

Finally, Panayiotis Tofi stood out for his performance in Actions B – ‘The living room of strangers’, in the artistic care of Panayiotis Larkou. His stage presence was mainly based on his creative encounter with the rest of the cast and actors, and on the mutual execution of various actions of performance.’

Events/Venues:
Cyprus Theatre Organization Theatrical Awards 2018 / THOC Theatre: Main Stage (Evis Gavrielides Auditorium)