Sisyphus
flesh and earth

REKTIFIE
Center for Research in Mixed Performing Arts

from February 5, 2026
every Thursday at 21:00

Who is Sisyphus, after all?
"Sisyphus - flesh and earth" is a stage breath between myth and human being. A performance that neither begins nor ends, but flows - like a rock, like a thought returning - asking the audience only to pause for a moment and face their own weight.

Fanis Katechos embodies a contemporary version of the Sisyphus archetype, where body, music, and myth converge. The precise direction of Donald Kitt and the live music of Tasos Fotiou on saxophone create an atmosphere that pulses - at times dreamlike, at times raw, always real.

Drawing from the ancient myth, the concept of confinement, and the performer's long-standing educational work in detention centers, the piece does not impose interpretations; yet it allows each spectator to find their own access to a hero who, as has been remarked, "could be any one of us." Physical and ritual theatre meet visual qualities, creating an experience where realistic time blends with the dreamlike, and symbol with the everyday.

The performance leaves open the possibility for each spectator to find their own meaning - or to remain with questions. Perhaps this is the essence of "Sisyphus - flesh and earth": the possibility of a personal journey emerging from a myth that, in some way, concerns us all.

A product of three years of research, and of a long-standing friendship and collaboration between the multifaceted arts collective Fabrica Athens and the distinguished long-time actor of the Odin Teatret, Donald Kitt, the piece was born in Greece, Denmark, and Poland, and continues to travel. An invitation to set aside one's own rock for a moment - or to see it differently.

What critics wrote about Sisyphus reborn on stage - Three different perspectives on the same performance:

• "In a stunning performance, Fanis Katechos constantly plays with his entire body... The direction and the music are exceptional in reinforcing this sense of futility, which accompanies each of our personal struggles on the path toward freedom, self-realization, and happiness." - Kostis Megalis, gr (link)
• "His body assumes the role of the main expressive medium. With movement full of intensity and symbolism, it replaces words and fills the stage with meaning... a performance that balances the symbolic and the experiential." - Katerina Tsoukatou, gr (link)
• "Donald Kitt's Sisyphus is, above all, real, tangible, with flesh and bones... every physical and emotional strain propels him toward the summit, that is, the realization of his freedom." - Dimitris Fileles, gr (link)

Promo text

"My rock, each of its fragments, reveals my world to me,

and the struggle toward the summit is the only limit."

"Sisyphus - flesh and earth" is a performance blending physical and ritual theater with visual elements, based on the titular myth.

The spectator becomes a witness to the tragic hero, experiencing with him the effort, the hope, the emotions - and begins to wonder: who are they truly watching - a myth, or their own self?