Music theatre for young audiences

NO! YOU WON'T GET UP OUR NOSES!

Eugene Trivizas / George Dousis

From 14/03/2021 to 31/12/2023

Description

A work for the whole family

A new work commissioned by the Greek National Opera for GNO TV portrays in a fantasy and poetic way COVID-19’s attack against humanity, through a composition of the art of the fairy tale, storytelling, music and animation. No! You Won’t Get Up Our Noses! is an adaptation of Eugene Trivizas’ book of the same title, with music by George Dousis, directed by Natasha Triantafylli, with sets and costumes by Tina Tzoka and animation by Panagiotis Rappas and Thodoris Sarafis.

Eugene Trivizas narrates, while the two leading roles are performed by two distinguished soloists of the GNO Tassis Christoyannis and Petros Magoulas. With the participation of members of the GNO Chorus under chorus master Agathangelos Georgakatos, and the GNO Children’s Chorus under chorus mistress Konstantina Pitsiakou.

Eugene Trivizas notes: “I am convinced that expecting to persuade them to act responsibly by exhortations, threats of punishment, or by invoking dangers, is a waste of time. We ought to plan long term. Today’s children will be tomorrow’s teenagers. If they develop appropriate ways of thinking and behaving from an early age, they will become mentally armoured, and when in a few years they will enter adolescence, it will be less likely to behave irresponsibly or to fall prey of all short of unfounded rumours and conspiracy theories. This is the goal of my play; through an entertaining allegorical story, to address children that, due to the pandemic, had gone through periods of seclusion at home, away from their friends and classmates.”

Trailer

At a glance – Synopsis

On a far-away planet, alien anteaters weave a devious plan to conquer Earth and destroy its inhabitants. Their first and primary target is children! So, one morning, with a wild battle cry echoing in the universe, the invaders’ space fleet, headed by ferocious general Covid-19 the Vile, advances unstoppable. Who will prevail in the terrible confrontation that will follow? Will the plan of the alien invaders work, or will the children of Earth find a way to vanquish them?

Creative team – Cast

Text Eugene Trivizas
Music George Dousis

CREATIVE TEAM
Piano George Dousis
Director Natasha Triantafylli
Set & costume coordination Tina Tzoka
Animation Panagiotis Rappas, Thodoris Sarafis
Instruction, GNO Chorus master Agathangelos Georgakatos
Instruction, GNO Children’s Chorus mistress Konstantina Pitsiakou

Text editing Maria Koutsioumba

CAST
Narrator Eugene Trivizas
Anteater Great Scaly the Sweeper Tassis Christoyannis
General Covid-19 the Vile Petros Magoulas

Members of the GNO Chorus
Theodore Aivaliotis
Christos Lazos
Pavlos Maropoulos
Theodore Moraitis
Yannis Stamatakis

Members of the Children’s Chorus of the Greek National Opera^*
Maria Armata-Tomara
Dimitra Vassilakopoulou
Francesca Vassilopoulou
Natalia-Chryssoula Vassou
Irini-Anastasia Vougiouka
Melina Georganda
Danae Koulieraki
Eleftheria-Olga Logou
Stavros Michopoulos
Marios Paschalis
Stella Petraki
Sophia Randavella
Simoni Sophou
Veroniki Stoyannidou
Angeliki Tamvakopoulou
Kalliopi Tzanidaki
Emmelia Frangou

^* As part of its educational mission.

Director's note

The digital work No! You Won’t Get Up Our Noses!, is a combination of the art of the fairy tale, story-telling, music and animation, describing in a more imaginary and therefore more poetic way the attack against humanity by an “insidious enemy”, the coronavirus. The effectiveness of the narration done by Eugene Trivizas himself, in combination with the portrayal of the world of viruses and enemies, in a musical environment which also supports the struggle for the elimination of Anteater Great Scaly the Sweeper and his army by science and man, urges young and old to get to know Covid-19 and in the end confront him head-on. It also urges them to declare –just as the GNO Children’s Chorus takes the initiative to do so at the end of the work–, that, no, they’re not going to surrender!

— Natasha Triantafylli