Mitsos Lygizos

Born

1912-09-01

Died

1993-09-18

Birthplace

Athens, Greece

Biography

Mitsos Lygizos (September 1, 1912 – September 18, 1993) was a Greek writer of literary and theatrical works, poet, director, actor and director of Drama Schools. He initially studied at the Drama School of the National Theatre where he became an assistant to Dimitris Rontiris, and continued his studies at the Central School of Dramatic Arts in London. He made his acting debut in 1940, participating in Sophocles' Antigone, which was presented by the National Theatre, starring Eleni Papadaki. In 1948 he left Greece to study directing in Paris, London and New York. In 1954, when he returned to Greece, he created the "Circular Theatre" on Parnassos, directing many performances with well-known protagonists such as Kyveli, Katerina, Anna Synodinou, etc. In 1956, he innovated with the "Theatre in the Green" by staging Romeo and Juliet in the Royal Garden, where instead of sets, the natural landscape dominated. In the following years, he collaborated with the troupes of Katrakis, Elsa Vergi, Vougiouklaki, Tzenis Karezi, Dimitris Papamichael, Despo Diamantidou, Nikos Hadziskos, etc., staging works from classical repertoire to reviews. He wrote the screenplay for the film The Crossroads of Destiny, directed by Gianni Vernoutsio. For a number of years he served as General Director of the Drama Schools of the National Theatre and the Athens Conservatory, where he also taught. Many well-known contemporary theatre and television stars were his students.