Bus filled with LGBTI+ stories to tour Nicosia

A bus full of inspiring stories of the LGBTI+ community will roam around Nicosia on November 13 and 14 as part of a unique performance as part of the Nicosia International Festival. Titled Routes λ2, this pioneering theatrical event will take place on the municipal buses of Nicosia where the experiences of individuals of the LGBTI+ community will be shown, through stories that often remain on the sidelines.

Starting from the Nicosia Municipal Theatre and driving through the streets of the city, the stories will unfold on a small moving bus, connecting it with the urban space, the city and its dynamics. In this way, its organisers hope that spectators are no longer mere witnesses to the theatrical act as they will be part of the journey, inaugurating a new relationship between spectator and event – bus passengers present in the space where various events will take place, both inside and outside of the moving vehicle.

Three actors, Elena Kallinikou, George Kyriakou, Costas Silvestros, will bring the stories to life while the performance is directed by Maria Varnakkidou and under the dramaturgy of Ellada Eva. Routes λ2 is part of the three-day celebration Taste the Music and is based on the theatrical event Routes that took place in March 2019 with stories inspired by the theatrical workshop held within the European program Perform to Reform.

The name Routes λ2 has meaning both for the LGBTI+ community, the city and the creators. The Greek letter lambda (λ) was chosen in 1970 to depict the campaign of the Homosexual Activist Alliance for the freedom of homosexuals. Four years later, the International Gay Rights Congress in Scotland chose this symbol for gay and lesbian rights. In physics, lambda is used to represent the wavelength associated with energy and it is therefore used to symbolise the energy of the Gay Movement.

In addition, λ2 is the route made by the minibuses of Nicosia in the centre of the capital and the number two highlights the continuation of the second part of the Routes. A bus full of meaning, stories and tales to share will soon invite passengers to join its journey across old Nicosia and listen to well-kept stories.

Routes λ2

Theatrical performance on a moving bus, part of the Nicosia International Festival. November 13. 5pm, 6.30pm and 8pm. November 14. 5pm, 6.30pm and 8pm. Starting point: Nicosia Municipal Theatre. Tickets from Stephanis Stores and www.soldoutticketbox.com