“Mother Tongue” by Georgia Tsagaraki: The Powerful Monologue on Language, Memory and Redemption Returns to Theatre of the NO

Theatre of the NO, Athens’ first English-language theatre, presents “Mother Tongue” by Georgia Tsagaraki for a second season. The powerful one-woman show returns to the stage after its successful run in December 2025.

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The show premieres on Monday 9 November and runs every Monday and Tuesday at 21:00, for a limited number of performances.

Between comedy and tragedy

“Mother Tongue” blends stand-up comedy, spoken word, storytelling and animation, switching back and forth between English and Greek. The heroine’s personal story becomes an intense theatrical experience that is sometimes funny and sometimes heartbreaking.

At its centre is Skyler Doukas, a middle-aged Greek stand-up comedian who lives and works in London. After years away, she returns to Greece and faces the defining experiences of her life: a difficult relationship with her mother, the loss of her father, and the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother’s new husband. Through humour and storytelling, she confronts the past and tries to redefine her relationship with it.

Director’s note

“Mother Tongue explores the power of our native language and its connection to the memories we form as we grow up. It speaks of the mother as homeland and the expectations we place on her, perhaps in vain; of the grief of loss, the violence of abuse and the trauma that haunts the victim. The directorial challenge lies in balancing the comic and tragic dimensions of the piece, as well as the delicate balance between the two languages.”

New this year: Open discussions with mental health professionals

This season the show comes with a new initiative. After selected performances there will be open discussions with invited mental health professionals and Georgia Tsagaraki, who is the show’s creator, performer, director and a drama therapist. The talks will focus on sexual abuse, psychological trauma and its effects, and the audience is welcome to take part.

Monday 9/11: “Therapeutic Re-storying of Trauma”, with Dr. Athina Androutsopoulou, clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and co-scientific director of Logo Psychis – Institute for Training & Research in Systemic Psychotherapy.
Monday 23/11: “The Imprint of Trauma on Body and Speech”, with drama therapist Venetia Beneti and Georgia Tsagaraki.
Monday 30/11: “Mother Tongue and Betrayal: The Trauma of Closeness”, with Domna Ventouratou, clinical psychologist and EMDR trauma therapist.
Tuesday 8/12: “The Thread of Trauma”, with Aristea Kontrafouri (drama therapist, play therapist, actor, social theologian and religious studies scholar) and Ioannis Pimpas (psychologist, MSc), co-founders and scientific directors of the psychosocial development centre “To Nima” (The Thread).

Guest speakers will be announced gradually on the theatre’s official pages.

Credits