As part of the cultural events organized by the Province of Kythira, Evgenios Spatharis visited Kythira to give a Karagiozis shadow puppet show.
The performance took place in Mitata Square in the mid-1990s.
Eugenios Spatharis was a leading representative of shadow theater in Greece. He was a true folk artist who kept the tradition of Karagiozis alive and strove to pass it on unchanged to younger generations.
He was born on January 2, 1924, in Kifissia, Attica, and was the son and successor of the great shadow puppet player Sotiris Spatharis (1892-1974), who was originally from Santorini. When it became clear that the harsh conditions of the German occupation would prevent him from pursuing a career in architecture, which he also loved, he devoted himself with particular zeal to shadow theater. Thus, from the very beginning, he set himself the goal of raising Karagiozis to great heights, both as an important Greek traditional spectacle and as an exceptional art form and technique.
His career as a shadow puppet player began in 1942, and since then he has been touring, performing in theaters and cinemas in Greece, but also abroad since 1953, starting with Carnegie Hall in New York. Noteworthy are his participation in major festivals abroad, his twenty-year participation in the «Krystallia» festival in Penteli, as well as his long-standing presence at the Thessaloniki International Fair and his appearances at the «Dimitria» festival.
In 1962, he recorded all of Karagiozis« classic performances at Kolumbia, which were released on records. In 1966, he was one of the first collaborators of the Experimental Television Station of EIR (ERT). His collaboration with public television lasted until 1992.
His work in theater is also noteworthy, where he directed or designed sets with great success for the productions «Alexander the Great» with the Greek Dance Drama (1950) and Sofia Vembo (1954), «The Journey» by Giorgos Themelis (1965), «Karagiozis the Dictator» by Giorgos Giannakopoulos (1969), «Our Great Circus» by Iakovos Kampanellis (1972), «Karagiozis Almost Vizier» by Giorgos Skourtis, «The Karagiozika» by Vasilis Rotas, and others.
In 1980, he staged an adaptation of Aristophanes« The Frogs, which was also released on record. Several years later, in 1998, in collaboration with the Tsarouchis Foundation, he successfully revived his father's invention, the »full-body apotheosis,« staging the heroic work »Athanasios Diakos.« In 1999, he wrote and directed the play »Skión Kamómata« in Rhodes, which toured throughout Greece.
In 2001, in collaboration with musicians Loudoikos of Anogia and Psarantonis, he presented Vitsentzos Kornaros« »Erotokritos« in an original way in Greece and abroad. In the same year, the Art Theater staged Aristophanes» «Plutus» starring Evgenios Spatharis. According to him, his presence at the Epidaurus Theater was the most important milestone in his life. In 2003, he wrote and staged his second play, "E! re glentia," which was performed in Athens and the provinces with Takis Vamvakidis in the role of Karagiozis.
Spatharis also appeared in films, including Grigoris Grigorios's «Bitter Bread» (1950), The Smartest Man in the World (1950), The Ark with Melina Mercouri and Minos Argyrakis (animated film, 1956), «Alexander the Great» by Giorgos Zervoulakos (1960), «Lysistrata» by Giorgos Zervoulakos (1974) and «Terirem» by Apostolos Doxiadis (1992), in eight films produced by Ioannidis Films with classic Karagiozis comedies (1962) and in many documentaries dedicated to Greece.
In addition to his enormous contribution to shadow theater, Evgenios Spatharis also distinguished himself as a painter, with more than 50 solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad. His paintings strongly retained the main characteristics of folk art, which he combined with unprecedented realism and great chromatic vitality. He was also involved in advertising posters, illustrating children's books, and designing corporate calendars.
Eugenios Spatharis was honored with commemorative plaques, both in Greece and abroad, for his significant and long-standing contribution to shadow theater. In 1980, at the Ithaca Festival, he won the award for best direction, set design, and costume design for Michalis Bourbouli's play «O Tilalis.».
In June 1995, the Municipality of Marousi secured a permanent home for Karagiozis and his friends in the heart of the city, establishing the Spathareios Shadow Theater Museum. In February 2007, the Ministry of Culture honored him for his valuable contribution to art and Greek folk tradition, awarding him a commemorative plaque and organizing an event dedicated to his fifteen years of activity.
Eugenios Spatharis died on May 9, 2009, at the age of 85. The great master of shadow theater was hospitalized at KAT Hospital for four days with severe brain injuries he sustained when he lost his balance and fell down the stairs during an event at the Goethe Institute on May 6.
