Alternative Stage Founding Donor

Major Sponsor of the Greek National Opera

The most famous and beloved hunchbacked jester in shadow puppet theatre, Karagiozis, is called upon to carry out... an operatic mission: to portray the most renowned hunchback in opera, Rigoletto! In the new shadow puppet opera production Karagiozis as Rigoletto, written by the prolific comedian, director, and librettist Dimitris Dimopoulos and the experienced shadow puppeteer Alexandros Melissinos, Karagiozis unexpectedly finds himself playing the lead role in Rigoletto at an opera house founded by the Vizier's daughter in the saray (palace), all while learning with humour and a disarming innocence everything required to stage an opera.
The performance combines traditional shadow puppet theatre with excerpts from Giuseppe Verdi's masterful opera Rigoletto, performed in Greek by three opera singers. It humorously reveals the backstage of an opera house while providing knowledge and abundant laughter in an alternative way.
The character of Karagiozis is vividly brought to life with originality by Alexandros Melissinos, making this performance a fresh and interactive take on shadow puppet theatre. Karagiozis as Rigoletto is a production suitable for both young and older audiences, promising to entertain and educate while demonstrating that tradition and the art of opera can be combined with humour and creativity.

Fully accessible performances
The performances of the shadow puppet opera Karagiozis as Rigoletto will be fully accessible on the 28th & 30th December 2025, providing an inclusive audiovisual experience for all audiences. In this context, there will be designated seats for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and use Greek Sign Language, places for those who rely on captions (CAPS) covering the entire audio channel, as well as seats for individuals who are blind or have limited access to the visual channel of communication and use the audio description (AD) service. Guide dogs for the visually impaired will also be permitted.
Audience members who wish to use the accessibility services are requested to purchase their tickets at the GNO Box Office, over the phone at 2130885700, or via email at .
The full accessibility services for this production are included in the accessibility initiative cycle Altogether at the Opera, implemented with the support of Alpha Bank, as part of its Corporate Responsibility Initiative Culture for All.