With 2026 upon us, cultural organisers are busy gearing up for a new events agenda. Performances and productions are lined up to take place at the Rialto Theatre throughout January.

The first event of the year is a screening of Yorgos Lanthimos’s film Bugonia, released in 2025. Starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis, the film follows two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. The film will be screened on January 7 at 8.30pm

On January 9, Theatro Dentro and Open Arts bring the first theatrical production of the year, presenting Tennessee Williams’ emblematic play The Glass Menagerie. Directed by Thanasis Georgiou, with an exceptional team of cast and crew, the performance tells a story of four lonely souls behind closed doors and four ways of dreaming of a different life. Presented in Greek, the play lasts two hours and features a five-member cast.

On the following evening, Vasilis Katsikonouris’ acclaimed play Milk is brought to the stage by Lexi Theatre, directed by Marina Vronti. It is a powerful story that explores the limits of love and sacrifice, touching the most delicate chords of human existence.

More theatrical productions will follow as the play Angela is presented on January 17. First staged in 1999, Angela is the longest-running production with the same lead actress, a play based on the memories of the remarkable Asia Minor Greek Angeliki Papazoglou, wife of the rembetiko musician Vangelis Papazoglou.

Kostas Hatzis and Daniela

A music performance that is less of a concert and more of a chamber theatre piece is set for January 21. Titled Pedro y Juan: Tango That Catches Meanings, this event brings together the cello and the accordion to tell stories of everything the sea brings ashore, performed by Yana Chekina and Evgeniya Popova.

Next it is time for music to take centre stage. The show Kostas Hatzis and Daniela on January 24 presents the two musicians together on stage. Hatzis, with his timeless performances and Daniela, with her expressive voice, offer a programme shaped by emotion, nostalgia and much-loved songs that have left their mark on the Greek music scene. Drawing on influences from both the Greek and international music scenes, Daniela weaves traditional and ethnic elements into a fresh, vibrant and contemporary performance.

The Reunification of the Two Koreas

Towards the end of the month, Theatro Dentro and Theatriki Stegi Kyprou will bring Joël Pommerat’s contemporary work The Reunification of the Two Koreas to life on Rialto’s stage. The play explores love and the constant negotiation surrounding it; the choices, sacrifices and courage required to stand up for one’s relationships and oneself. It will presented in Greek on January 28.

January’s final shows are set for January 30 and 31 and it is a special performance by the puppeteers of the Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre. Alfred and Violetta will be performed in Georgian with Greek and Russian subtitles, bringing this unique event to Rialto Theatre by one of the most renowned chamber theatres in the world.

Alfred and Violetta is a tender and ironic love story inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Lady of the Camellias and Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata. Rezo Gabriadze relocates the action to contemporary Tbilisi, creating a poetic, cinematic world where marionettes live through real human emotions — with humour, gentleness, pain and a touch of wistful sadness. The performance will be repeated on February 1 with two shows at 4pm and 7pm.

January at Rialto Theatre

Details and tickets at www.rialto.com.cy. Tel: 7777-7745