Production Overview
- Play Title: Anna (Hanna)
- Playwright: Sam Potter
- Director: Emmanuel G. Mavros
- Translation & Lead Performance: Panagiota Avramopoulou
- Set & Costume Design: Rena Santamouris
- Production Company: Medea Pictures
- Venue: Dromos Theatre (Kypseli, Athens)
- Format: Monodrama / Dramatic Monologue
Plot Summary
The play tells the story of Anna, a 21-year-old working-class single mother raising her 3-year-old daughter, Elli, on her own after the child’s father abandoned them. Despite financial struggles and the pressures of managing work, studies, and daily responsibilities, Anna’s bond with her daughter is the core of her happiness and fulfillment.
Her world collapses when an unexpected DNA test reveals a devastating truth: due to a tragic mistake at the maternity hospital, Elli is not biologically Anna’s child. When the biological parents demand a meeting, Anna is forced to confront a deeply conservative, elitist social structure that challenges her right to motherhood based on social status, privilege, and class stereotypes. Driven to extreme choices to protect her child and preserve her family, Anna sets off on a heartbreaking yet humorous journey questioning what true motherhood and family mean.
Key Themes & Context
- Motherhood vs. Biology: The narrative explores whether parentage is defined by genetics or by love, care, and presence.
- Class & Social Stereotypes: It highlights the stark contrast between a struggling single mother and an influential, wealthy elite, critiquing societal hypocrisy and prejudice.
- Emotional Range: Directed with dark humor, suspense, and emotional vulnerability, the play uses a single actor on stage to convey the pressure, exhaustion, and resilience of modern women navigating societal expectations.Here is an overview and summary of the theatrical play “Anna” (Άννα) performed at Theatre Dromos (Θέατρο Δρόμος) in Athens.
Read more here