Script: The Homemaker's Guide to Greekness P.1 (Intro)
The Homemaker's Guide to Greekness is an adaptation of Scene 6, Act 3 of Kalliroi Siganou-Parren’s play The New Woman. Taking place at the turn of the century, the original play explores the themes of Greek nationalism, shifting gender roles, and the introduction of first-wave feminism to European society. These themes are evident in the complex relationship between Mrs. Memusselov and Mary Myriou. These characters can be further interpreted as the embodiment of traditionalist and modernist ideas.
One of the most notable examples of this can be found in Scene 6, Act 3 when Mrs. Memusselov questions Mary on her “optimistic” approach to wifehood on page 20. Their casual discussion about gender roles and marriage in an upper-class Greek society quickly transforms into an emotional debate between the women. The presence of Costas in this scene, although quite limited, also reveals more of his generally careless nature. By not engaging in the dialogue, he remains ignorant of his role in the discussion. The clash between traditional and modern approaches to gender equality and nationalism within the confines of marriage is presented as the major cause of disagreement between Mrs. Memusselov and Mary.
Audience members gain further insight into the natures of these characters through the dialogue in Scene 6, Act 3 of the play. Their viewpoints, in complete opposition to each other, allow the audience to determine possible reasonings for a particular opinion to be held as opposed to another. The main goal for my adaptation of the scene was to take the emotions expressed through the dialogue between these three characters and expand upon them. By providing more background on the characters, the emotional dialogue in this scene will have a story behind it that can be attributed to each character. In the original text, it is made clear that Mrs. Memusselov and Mary possess a strong opinion on the topic of gender roles based on their life experiences. Giving each character strong and clear reasoning behind their actions and words allowed me as a writer to determine their differences and similarities beyond that of upholding a traditional or modern mindset.
It is also worth noting that in the adaptation, Costas remains similar to the way he was originally written. His only contributions to the conversation are in hopes of defending himself without openly supporting his mother or his wife. Audiences are forced to acknowledge the role of misogyny in a conversation centered around the duty of a wife in a changing society. I wanted the interaction between Mrs. Memusselov and Midge to give way to something greater for Midge: a strong incentive for Midge to prove that her identity is not reliant on that of her husband. She defines herself as a woman capable of change.
Setting the scene in 1963 rather than 1897 allowed me to explore the beginning of second-wave feminism in Greece through the eyes of these women. To adapt this scene as accurately as possible, I turned to several different journals and books with information about second-wave feminism in Europe and its attributing factors. My research included the book International Women Stage Directors by Ava Sidiropou and Protest Cultures: A Companion by Kristina Schulz. German-American Post-modernist artists Helen Frankenthaler and Kalliroi Signaou-Parren provided me with the inspiration for the character of Midge Myriou. Lastly, I wanted to incorporate questions about the “Greekness” of Midge as a Greek American who has arrived in the country of her ancestors. The role of Greek nationalism in the adaptation of this play is highlighted by the constant referrals to proper Greek women by Mrs. Memusselov. Costas does not defend Midge but encourages his mother to see her as a Greek who has been raised in America. Having grown up without the language or traditions of her culture, Midge has moved to Athens in the hope of finding artistic inspiration. This, of course, is questioned by Mrs. Memusselov who bases her homemaker lifestyle on traditional notions of what it means to be a Greek woman in a changing society.
Research:
Gohari, Sybil E. “Gendered Reception: There and Back Again: An Analysis of the Critical Reception of Helen Frankenthaler.” Woman's Art Journal, vol. 35, no. 1, 2014, pp. 33–39.
Mackay, Finn. “Reclaiming Revolutionary Feminism.” Feminist Review, no. 106, 2014, pp. 95–103.
Schulz, Kristina. “Changing Gender Roles.” Protest Cultures: A Companion, edited by Kathrin Fahlenbrach et al., 1st ed., Berghahn Books, NEW YORK; OXFORD, 2016, pp. 509–516.
Sidiropoulou, Avra. “Greece.” International Women Stage Directors, edited by Anne Fliotsos and Wendy Vierow, by Roberta Levitow, University of Illinois Press, 2013, pp. 161–173.
Wilkin, Karen. “Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011).” American Art, vol. 26, no. 3, 2012, pp. 100–104.