What I can see

The building of the historic newspaper Empros is nowadays the best-known self-organized theatre in the country, with continuous promotion and support of independent artists and rich social activism. Its imposing volume was demonstrative of the presence of a progressive newspaper for the time. Despite the ravages of time and the alterations to its facades, the simple lines of interwar modernism are still evident, with the symmetrical arrangement of large rectangular openings with skylights and metal ribs. The sign with the name Empros is the original one from the 1930s.

What I can't see

Since it came under the jurisdiction of the Empros Theatre Company (2008), it remained closed and deserted for about 5 years. In 2011, the artists’ initiative “Mavili Movement”, along with the support of several residents of Psyrri area, artists and theorists of various arts, reactivated the theatre as an independent self-organized space. Following complaints from some residents and reports of electricity and water theft, the police attempted twice to seal the theatre, without success. The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), which later owned the theatre, requested the reconnection of the space to electricity and water, at its own expense. Among the artists who participated in artistic events and speeches after the squatting of the theatre was Dimitris Papaioannou (see opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, Athens 2004). These days, it is considered one of the most thriving artistic scenes in the city, while tributes to its activity – despite the difficulties during the years of crisis – were made by the Franco-German channel ARTE and many European radio stations. The movable objects of the Empros newspaper’s printing house have been transferred to Technopolis and are exhibits of the Industrial Gas Museum.

Info

• Address: 2 Riga Palamidi St.

Bibliography