Eleftheria’s mother, Kiki, is illiterate. Throughout her upbringing, letters remained mysteries—secret curlicues, a boundary between herself and the initiated. But the stories echoing within her needed to come out, to live on, and be told to others. A necessity so undeniable that Kiki invented her own alphabet.
The Little Girl with Gortsa is a personal and poetic play about a mother who grew up in a refugee village in northern Greece, inhabited by Armenians expelled from Turkey. It was a place shaped by stones and tobacco plants, a constrained world for those who were considered neither Greeks nor Turks—a place where survival demanded hard work.
The performance also tells the story of her daughter, who had to leave her home village to pursue her dreams, and how her mother’s tales of survival offered her comfort along the way. It’s a story about shame and love, class and origin, carried by the need to express oneself and bring inner images to life.
A co-production between Backa Teater and Gothenburg Dance and Theatre Festival
A part of PROSPERO NEW – European Platform for the Promotion of Emerging Artists
Part of 7th Berliner Herbstsalon ЯE:IMAGINE: THE RED HOUSE
Photo: Eleftheria Gerofoka
Stage photos: Ola Kjelbye
»Depicts migration, class, and family with tenderness, humour, and respect. [...] Suddenly, many other portrayals of class seem lacking. For this is another way to approach the subject — with tenderness and respect for the other’s dignity«
Göteborgs-Posten
»Captivates the audience from the very beginning. [...]The Little Girl with Gortsa doesn’t point fingers, blame, or shame. Instead, it tells a humble story of a journey through time, space, and class, aiming to foster understanding. [...] Opens eyes and ears, making space in the soul for empathy and insight into what it means to be a refugee. [...] The language shifts fluidly between beautifully broken Swedish, English, and Greek — not a single detail is lost.«
Kai Martin
»A story that is at once sorrowful, moving, and entertaining. [...] It takes a Greek woman to revive theatre in the spirit of its origins — retelling historical events in dramatic form.«
Alba
»The set design feels rich with intrigue and quiet mystery. [...] The daughter directs with deep sensitivity, in collaboration with Rasmus Lindgren — whose outside perspective on the relationship and ability to pinpoint key emotional moments was a wise artistic choice. [...] An hour well spent on a journey through class, family bonds, and the power of storytelling.«
