Name: Stathis Livathinos
Professional Title: Theatre Director, Actor, Scholar, Academician
Institutional Affiliations: National Theatre of Greece (Former Artistic Director); Academy of Athens (Member, Chair of Theatrical Arts); Harvard University (Actors’ Continuing Education Program); University of Patras (Department of Theatre Studies)
Geographic Base: Athens, Greece
Short Bio:
Stathis Livathinos is one of Greece’s most influential theatre directors, actors, and scholars, whose visionary work has profoundly shaped modern theatre, performance studies, and theatrical pedagogy. He graduated from the Pelos Katselis Drama School and the University of Athens (English Philology) and completed an M.A. in directing at the State Institute of Theatre in Moscow, where he graduated with honors and received the Moscow Critics’ Prize for his diploma production Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Over his decades-long career, Livathinos has directed an extraordinary range of productions spanning classical Greek tragedies, Shakespearean dramas, Russian literature, contemporary European plays, and modern Greek theatre. His acclaimed works include Medea (Euripides), King Lear and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Shakespeare), The Idiot (Dostoevsky), Vassa (Gorky), I Am Dying as a Country (Dimitriadis), The Beast on the Moon (Kalinoski), and the epic stage adaptation of Homer’s Iliad (translation by D. Maronitis), which premiered at the Athens Festival in 2013 to critical acclaim and subsequently toured internationally.
From 2001 to 2007, he led the Experimental Stage of the National Theatre of Greece and the Acting and Directing Workshop, cultivating a celebrated ensemble and creative team. As artistic director of the National Theatre (2015–2019), Livathinos oversaw a period of innovative programming and public engagement, with productions recognized for their artistic excellence, including his adaptation of The Idiot, voted Best Production of the 2006–2007 season by Athinoramamagazine. His contributions have been honored with multiple awards, including the Fotos Politis Award (2001–2003) and the International Repertoire Award for directing (King Lear, 2009).
In addition to his creative work, Livathinos has shaped generations of actors and directors through teaching at the University of Patras and Harvard University. He has also been a vocal advocate for accessibility in the arts, publicly highlighting initiatives for artists with disabilities at the National Theatre. In recognition of his lifelong contribution to theatre, he was elected a member of the Academy of Athens on December 5, 2024, holding the newly established Chair of Theatrical Arts. Through his scholarship, direction, and mentorship, Livathinos continues to influence theatre both in Greece and internationally, bridging classical traditions and contemporary innovation.
