About the Company

Theatre Antidote is Cyprus' pioneering theatre resource working solely for young people, providing a vibrant and diverse arts programme from our theatre in Larnaca and in schools and other venues across the island.

We use drama with and for young people as our main artistic focus. All our work is delivered by working in partnership with young people, their teachers and with artists across the spectrum. Theatre Antidote aims to develop potential and creative ambitions, regardless of ability, through celebrating the cultural diversity in Cyprus. This is achieved through four areas of work: producing professional theatre, writing original children's plays, our youth and children's theatre workshops and specialist training programs.

Theatre Antidote is registered as a non-profit organisation - company No. 938592

History

Theatre Antidote was founded in Larnaca in 1999 by Xenakis Kyriakides and Catherine Beger, with the purpose of creating an international young people's theatre that would:

1. Tour schools across the island with innovative and exciting new performances, in both Greek and English.
2. Create a new style of theatre that transcends the barrier of language, through minimal dialogue and live music.
3. Have its own theatre-stage for Antidote performances and the work of visiting theatres.
4. Have a teaching space for its drama school.

Since 1999, Theatre Antidote has flourished and achieved much of what it set out to do. On a daily basis, Antidote tours the island in their theatre truck with seven different shows. They now run a 280 seat theatre venue in Larnaca, which was opened by the Minister of Education in 2004, and teach around 150 children from the age of 4-21yrs. The unique quality offered through drama is an environment where children of all nationalities can co-operate together on creating a performance. The work- shops are taught in both English and Greek.

Xenakis Kyriakides

Co-Director, Actor and Drama Teacher Xenakis Kyriakides (Co-Director, Actor, Drama teacher) has been working in theatre for 20 years. Xenakis studied Philosophy (MA) in London University and Theatre Studies (MA Acting and Directing) at Rose Bruford College in London. He founded Theatre Antidote with Catherine Beger in 1999.

Catherine Beger

Co-Director, Actress and Drama Teacher Catherine Beger (Co-Director, Actress, and Drama teacher) has been working for eleven years in theatre, mostly in children's theatre. Ms Beger began her career training at Liverpool University, UK followed by (BA Hons) in Acting from Rose Bruford College, London. She founded Theatre Antidote with her Co-Director Xenakis Kyriakides in 1999 with the purpose of creating an international young people's theatre, including quality performances for young people, drama workshops, new writing and work with schools across Cyprus. As of today Antidote is the only theatre of its kind in Cyprus. Want to find out more about Catherine? Read the Cyprus Mail article about her.

Staff

The company has a permanent body of staff including, Korina Kontaxidi, Andrei Kroupa, Irina Novojilova, Nenad Bogdanovic, Matthew Beger and Maria Andreou. Theatre Antidote also has a very proactive fund-raising committee.

Fund-raising Committee

President: Ian King, Vice President: Kate Simpson, Secretary: Karen Charalambous, Mariann Raknec, Samar Nicolaou, Annie Cowell, Stuart Cowell, Tracy Vasiliades, Rosie Marinkovic, Lawrence Hilditch, Rhoda Hilditch, Julia Kuzmina.