When:
Friday, January 16, 2026 | 18:00-19.30

Where:
Demos Center, The American College of Greece, 7-17b Ipitou Str., Plaka, Athens

Organized by:
Theatre Arts Department, The American College of Greece

In collaboration with:
Valentina Tamiolaki

About the event:

Despite the collaborative nature of devised work, lighting designers are still frequently seen as technical support rather than artistic collaborators. Interestingly, the further a production departs from traditional methods, the less lighting designers are invited to creatively contribute to the mood, rhythm, spatial dynamics, and narrative structure of a non-text-based performance. As a result, although lighting technology continues to evolve rapidly, the dramaturgical potential of light remains underutilized. Drawing from personal research, design experimentation, and collaborative workshops, this lecture investigates the role of light within performances that move away from the centrality of the script. I will present the outcomes of a practice-based inquiry into the dramaturgy of light, as conceptualized by lighting students within an educational context. Key concepts from Stanislavsky’s system, including the “magic if” and the “given circumstances”, are reinterpreted from the perspective of a lighting designer, providing student designers with a conceptual framework that applies to all types of contemporary theatre practice. However, rather than introducing a fixed method, this talk opens a space for dialogue about creative agency, interdisciplinary collaboration, and how designers might “light the ungiven”, in other words, how they can illuminate the unseen potential within non-verbal, process-led work.

The event is free and open to the public.

Please register here by November 20.

About the speaker:

Valentina Tamiolaki
Valentina Tamiolaki is a professional lighting designer and musician whose work explores the dynamic relationship between movement, sound, and light in the performing arts. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (MA Advanced Theatre Practice, University of London), she specialized as a theatre artist in devised, text-based, physical, site-specific, dance, and puppet theatre. She has designed the lighting for many projects in Greece and abroad, seamlessly blending her technical expertise with her artistic vision. Based in Athens, she creates lighting designs that contribute to the dramaturgy and visual identity in all kinds of artistic work. She is currently a PhD candidate at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.