Before Antiskino Festival brings outdoor theatre and performance art to the dense Pyrgos forest this August 24-28, it organises three pre-festival happenings to set the mood. Performance events in Nicosia and Avgorou will invite the public to music, theatre and poetry occasions.

The first two events will take place at the Home for Cooperation in Nicosia on Monday and Tuesday. Titled The Fate of The Walls, the events happen on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the opening of the checkpoints and include music and poetry performances. Giorgos Kalogerou, Irene Andronikou, Konstantina Xenophontos, Charalambos Pantelis and Konstantinos Makaritis will present a special performance to mark the occasion. The event will be repeated the following evening.

On August 5, at the Ethnographic Museum of Avgorou, even more performance art will take place. Four different acts are set to be presented on the first Saturday of the month including the music and poetry event also performed in Nicosia. Before that though, as the event begins at 6.30pm, an art and digital performance titled By Image will entertain audiences as Stavros X.Petrou takes the floor to execute his 20-minute-long piece.

At 7pm, the art performance Sanctus will be presented by Maria Eleftheriou, Stavros X.Petrou and Georgia Nikolaou. Half an hour later, Giorgos Papaconstantinou’s book A-psychi, loosely translating to A-soul will be presented in a performance by Raphaela Kavazi. The Fate of The Walls will close the night until the official festival makes its presents its 7th edition in late August.

Antiskino Pre-Festival Events

Music and poetry event. July 31 and August 1. Home of Cooperation, Nicosia. 8.30pm. Performance art by various local artists. August 5. Ethnographic Museum of Avgorou, Avgorou. 6.30pm. €5. www.soldoutticketbox.com.cy