Eventful August coming up at Technopolis 20

While August is the island’s unofficial month of rest and vacation, Technopolis 20 in Paphos continues to provide a rich cultural agenda. Throughout the next month, several happenings will fill its garden with local theatre and music acts.

Starting off August’s events is a theatre performance on August 3 with actors Marios Ioannou and Stefani Neophytou who present The Diary of a Madman. The play is considered to be one of Nikolai Gogol’s greatest short stories and it centres on the life of a melancholic and confused civil servant.

Ioannou has presented the play before in various locations including the Rialto Theatre, El Salah Theatre in Cairo, the Hellenic Centre in London and several other venues in Cyprus. When the play was first staged in 2007, it was amongst the first attempts to use the Cypriot dialect in a theatrical performance. At Technopolis 20, Stefani Neophytou will improvise on the themes written by the late Giorgos Christodoulides who wrote the music and lyrics of the play. This adaptation is dedicated to him.

Switching gears to live music,the next performance will welcome three local musicians. The NAX Organ Trio will take the floor on August 10 to present a varied jazz repertoire. Christos Yerolatsitis on organ, Alexandros Adam on guitar and Nikolas Tsangaris on drums will perform from ballads to swing, funk and blues with improvisation leading the way.

Continuing the jazz music concert series is a tribute on August 17 to a beloved singer of the 20^th century, Sarah Vaughan. The Alice Ayvazian Jazz Trio will present exciting arrangements of the singer’s classic jazz songs which contributed to making the Great American Songbook what it is today.

Then, on Monday, August 21, Macumba will fill Technopolis 20 with a musical cocktail of Brazilian funk, samba, rumba and guaguanco afro-cuban, blended with modern post-jazz. The band is made up of three Cypriot and one Chilean musician and is known for its alternative approach to Latin Music. They perform Latin Jazz and original compositions dressed in Brazilian rhythms and beats. Elias Ioannou, Giorgos Morfitis, Rodrigo Caceres and Rodos Panayiotou will take the floor at 8pm for a lively performance.

Cypriot composer, musician and educator Evagoras Karageorgis will perform next at the Paphos venue with his lute and vocals. He proposes an evening titled Scents of Jasmine, A Trip to the Old Era with Poetry and Music, set for August 25. Joining him to perform pieces inspired by Cypriot poetry and theatre are pianist Clio Papadia and Alexia Yiangou on the violoncello.

Concluding August’s events at Technopolis 20 is a concert by the well-known local trio Rumba Attack returning for a unique concert in the garden including original instrumental material as well as select covers in their distinctive Flamenco-Rumba style, blended with sounds from Middle Eastern and Greek origins, Rock and Bossanova.

The Diary of a Madman

Nikolai Gogol’s story, adapted into Cypriot. By Marios Ioannou and Stefani Neophytou. August 3. Technopolis 20, Paphos. 8.30pm. €12. Tel: 7000-2420

NAX Organ Trio

Live jazz, funk and blues. August 10. Technopolis 20, Paphos. 8pm. €12. Tel: 7000-2420

‘SASSY’: A tribute to Sarah Vaughan

By the Alice Ayvazian Jazz Trio. August 17. Technopolis 20, Paphos. 8pm. €12. Tel: 7000-2420

Macumba

Live Latin Jazz and world music. August 21. Technopolis 20, Paphos. 8pm. €15. Tel: 7000-2420

Scents of Jasmine

Live music by Cypriot composer, musician and educator, Evagoras Karageorgis. August 25. Technopolis 20, Paphos. 8pm. €12. Tel: 7000-2420

Rumba Attack

Local trio performs live. August 29. Technopolis 20, Paphos. 8pm. €12. Tel: 7000-2420