'The Magic Pillows': Greek Australian kids in Trivizas' fairy tale-based play

'The Magic Pillows' of Eugene Trivizas is a much-beloved book by children, parents, and teachers alike and has been adapted into hundreds of school performances as well as for the Creative Drama and Arts Centre (for children) of the Greek Community of Melbourne. CDAC coordinator and theatre educator Katerina Poutachidou talks to SBS Greek.

'The Magic Pillows' of Eugene Trivizas by the Creative Drama and Arts Centre of Greek Community of Melbourne.

'The Magic Pillows' of Eugene Trivizas by the Creative Drama and Arts Centre of Greek Community of Melbourne. Source: SBS Greek

For the unfortunate citizens of 'Ouranopolis', King Arpatilaos is on the rather nasty side. He only cares about his twelve crowns (one for each month!) and the jewels that decorate them. He is particularly scornful of all holidays and happy occasions and uses his crow feather to write laws that ensure his subordinates work in the city’s jewel-mines undistracted! The King bans the Carnival, birthday parties, and Sundays… and then watches over 'Ouranopolis' with his golden telescope to make sure everyone behaves.

No wonder his citizens hate him and throw banana peels (for him to slip on) outside the palace any chance they get! But wait, what is that? A foreshadowing of disobedience? He and his consultants then come up with a plan to keep things at bay. They give away free pillows that hold an awful secret: the pillows will deprive all who sleep on them of beautiful dreams and instead will fill their nights with sinister nightmares. 

Evgenios Trivizas’ stories, the work of a writer who jumped very successfully from criminology to children’s books, 

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1 min read
Published 31 May 2018 3:51pm
Updated 12 August 2022 3:39pm
By Panos Apostolou, Argyro Vourdoumpa
Source: SBS Greek


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