Pelos Katselis in his youth: Ηοw he became a stage - director during the interwar years

Abstract

Pelos Katselis was an outstanding Greek theatre artist of the postwar era. This essay describes, examines and explains how he became a professional stage-director in the late thirties. Katselis began his career as an amateur actor in 1924 an d then worked in professional touring troupes down to 1938. During this period he also developed interesting ideas οn acting and directing, particularly on the stage interpretation of Shakespeare. However, even though his first direction dates back to 1929, until 1939 he had no official status as director, since he worked occasionally and only in his capacity as actor-manager.
The young learned actor became stage-director in 1939 because of two interrelated events: first his attendance at German theatres (mainly the "WanderbUnhnen", the state touring companies of the country) in 1939; second, the foundation of the official Greek theatre for the provinces named ''Arma Thespidos" (Thespis' Cart), due to the activities of Metaxas' dictatorship and modelled upon attempts of fascist govern ments in Germany and Italy. Thus, in 1939 Katselis was employed as stage-director in this short-lived venture (ended in 1942) and continued to work as professional director in state and private theatres in the decades that followed.