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The popular singer and out of the system Manos Zafeiropoulos from the “Ballad of the Heart of the Hole”, the madly in love Giannis from the series “The Word You Don’t Say” and of course, the cruel and sadistic Manos Voskaris from “Wild bees».
This is Vassilis Bismbikis. But not only that … The actor, who enters our houses every night through the drama series of Ant1 and has made us hate him but look for him at the same time, is much more.
Creative, with a point of view and a strong need to express and express people on the margins. Vassilis Bismbikis himself explained the “why” by speaking to newsbeast.gr.
– We are in the Cartel. A space made by you, from scratch. What do we find here?
This place has been built since 2013. It was in the recycling yards of the Botanical Garden. In the quarantine of March, we moved here, to Renti. This building gave it to us Roof of the Onassis Foundation. We rebuilt the space from scratch. Of course, a machine shop and the other a machine shop. But one was 150 square meters and that’s 1500. It gives us the opportunity to dare to do bigger things with the support of the Roof.
– What need led you to build this space?
The need was then, together with a friend, Panagiotis Soulis and Faye Tzima (Faye still, Panagiotis is gone), to do theater how we want to do it, without the intermediary, producer type. Of the three that we started, now we are 15 to 16 people. Our need to acquire a common hypocritical code. To be able to communicate faster and to be able to create an artistic result that has value in the end. Through work and without an intermediary with time limits and such. That was the need. Let’s do our homework.
– With your team you had “uploaded” “People and mice”. A show that sold out. And now he will move to the cinema …
In the cinema I still do not know if it will be transferred. The rights we have are of transmission. To be transferred to the cinema, the cinemas are closed anyway. I don’t think we will make it. It would be better if we went out on a platform or through the roof platform. We will somehow “chase” him. And we will “pursue” the rights to the adaptation that will be released in theaters later.
– Are you in favor of showing streaming performances?
I was very much against it and still am in a way. For example: The program “People and mice” had this acceptance and this mark that it had on the viewer. If a download was performed as done in transmissionArtistically, I don’t think it would affect the viewer as much as someone who came to see the show.
– Is energy lost?
Yes, it is a simple filming with three cameras, etc. We have done something different here. We made the movie. We did a month of filming, we spent a lot of money, to be able to maintain that effect that it had on the viewer, so that it is maintained throughout the film. I am in favor of that. Because it is a film, it is a cinematographic work. Film form. This with the transmission still worries me. Perhaps little by little the spectator is forgetting in his chair and then they buy tickets with seats and we put cameras in each seat. It is not possible to do theater in an empty space, without spectators. On the one hand it is this. On the other hand there is the general closure, the social one. I don’t want us to be one more step to lock people up. I’m still thinking about it.
– All these new data that we have, quarantine, imprisonment, coronavirus, can they be a source of inspiration for an artist? Because in addition to being an actor, you are also a director …
Obviously yes. Whenever there is a crisis you have stimuli. In other words, now we have no excuse to say that “the elderly, for example, created in the junta, in the war, etc. because they had incentives.” And we have. We went through a big financial crisis and now we have this health crisis. There are tremendous stimuli to create. We must not leave it without expressing it artistically.
– You’re preparing the Red Lanterns …
It was a show that stopped a week before it started, in the old space. So now we have to do it from scratch because the space here is different. Another aesthetic. He also went through this part of the crisis with covid. Then there are other stimuli again to “pass” inside. As if it somehow surpassed what we had done then. So we have to “reread” the program. It will be a show on the occasion of the play “Red lanterns»Although in a trans version.
– Why don’t the majority of directors include the topic of the coronavirus in their series and films? It’s an issue that worries people anyway …
There are some series that are modern, but they do not play it. I have not even looked to tell you the truth that there is a serial that reproduces this. I think it has more to do with the aesthetic part. As if they were afraid of him, the masks too. I don’t know, I can’t understand it. That is to say, in a series that is going to be done in summer, his story “plays” inside COVID-19. And the masks and everything.
– You take projects and adapt them to the now. How difficult is this?
He has difficulties but for me it could not be otherwise. He’s struggling, let’s say Strindberg’s “Father” that we had moved to the Warehouse theater… It’s a huge play with huge philosophical and spiritual extensions. Certainly, in a way, what we do loses a lot of data from the author. You can make the project even smaller than it actually is. On the other hand, many of these themes that exist within, as in “The Father”, were out of date. That is, the Church’s opposition to Science, which began in 1900, was a very important part of the project. The mother tells the man that “the child is not yours” and a war starts as there was no DNA at that time. This problem is now easily solved. I mean there are some things that want to “rest”. This is what we are essentially doing. Keeping the core of the project we try to transfer it to the now. To “rest” some things that we think can keep the public away from them. Don’t think that what you see is something that happened in 1900 but cannot happen now. We bring it to an immediate reality so that the public can more easily identify, influence, embolize it. She has many difficulties in relation to the matches that you have to find with the project topics. That is the difficulty and it requires perseverance from the actors because the truth is that I do not do the transcription. There is a function and the actors go into this story. They are co-creators, that is, 100%. We all work together. We deconstruct the author in some way. He has difficulties but on the other hand I cannot do theater in any other way. At least at this stage I am. Maybe later…
– And the reactions? Because I imagine there will be many …
There is yes. Even in this Steinberg job, in “People and Mice,” some people were saying “what is this? It’s not Steinberg’s job.” It’s fine. We want the reactions anyway. The reactions are not so much of this type. We want more the shock reaction because the truth is that we want to surprise the viewer and we believe in the theater of shock.
– Why this;
Because I think that man is more easily vaccinated with violence.
– Is that why the characters you play are tough? Do you want to pass messages to viewers through them?
No, I’m just busy with the fringes. Like “People and Mice”, like “Red Lanterns” for trans, etc. It is a part of my life that I recognize very well.
– That’s it?
I mean, since I lived on the sidelines for years, I recognize these characters better. It is closer to me. I have not finished school, I have not gone to the 3rd Baccalaureate, nor am I good at letters. I have a street language that I know very well. I write in this language. It’s easier for me. I can’t speak another language. This is my language. So I take care of these projects. In general, these characters, in these works, are extreme. And I like extreme characters. I don’t know if they are harsh, they are definitely extreme.
– Can the messages pass to the viewer through violence?
Violence reflects your bad self. That is, essentially what you do … For example, in “Father” the couple who is “murdered” and in the middle there is a child … It may be on an extreme scale, but the viewer recognizes his bad self there. Acknowledge that you may have done something similar in your relationship. How selfish and selfish one can be in a relationship. So that automatically puts him in a situation and I imagine that later he will reconsider whether he should do this m @ l @ k @ s in front of his son.
– Chapter “Wild bees” and Voskaris Hands. A cruel, violent and sadistic character. Weren’t you afraid of that role?
No, it didn’t scare me at all. It is a well written paper. The script is a great story and this role is very well written. It is avant-garde. Barely. These guys are lovely for the artist, put yourself in those shoes …
– An evil was created that, however, “threw” the public. She wants to see it …
She always wants it. Usually this is done.
– Because;
It is fantasy. Violence, in many cases, is a fantasy. Don’t some women fantasize about violence? But fantasy is one thing and action is another. If they had Boscaris in their home, they wouldn’t want it at all. But it exists as fantasy. Even Stanley Kowalski, when I did “Desire Bus” that raped Blanche Diboua, was liked by some women. What should we do now; It is a perversion, a fantasy that if done with consent is fine.
– When the “tsunami” of complaints began in the field of art, he had no doubts about the role of Voskari;
It was as if the paper had gained weight. I matched events that were happening and it was a bit weird emotionally for me. On the other hand, you saw that fiction is in life. And such an extreme hero, after all, is not so extreme …
– Will Voskaris be punished for all his crimes?
Yes! Horrible!
– Is there a punishment that is sufficient for everything you have done?
There is a punishment, of course. Extreme. I am not in favor of these kinds of situations, but I think people will be happy. Relief is likely to be heard at that time.
– Did I hear you say in an interview that you were preparing a show in jail?
“Aris Velouchiotis” was going to play in jail. Then the director of the prisons changed and did not continue.
– Who did you meet in jail?
With many, with them Fire cores, Vlastos and others. But in the end it didn’t happen. It is very sad to see young children with such punishments.
– As soon as the cinemas open. Will you try again? Prepare a show that will go up to jail?
Yes, we will seek to create something in juvenile detention centers.
– Is there a limit to art?
None. Everyone does what they want. There should be no limit.
– Is there any reaction from the public for Manos Voskaris?
Of course there is more through social media. I get messages like “go crazy” and “die”. Even in 2021, the world identifies with the characters. And new kids, and that’s strange. I remember a story Faidon Georgitsis told me, I had him as a teacher at school… He used to play in “Lampsi” and he got rich. He went to the supermarkets and people asked him for money. Something similar is happening.
