Creator of a stage language all his own, the 27-year-old Albanian–born Mario Banushi has been hailed internationally as the wunderkind of Greek theater. If, in his previous works, the theme was mourning, in MAMI it is the source of life. In Banushi’s personal mythology, the almost identical words “mami” and “mam” become one: Mami, as in mother; Mam, as in food. One pulls out one’s heart and offers it to another like a warm loaf of bread. The stage becomes a landscape of memory, as eerie as it is familiar. The performers, immersed in silence, create moments of profound emotion and urge us to recognize and confront our own memories, our own relationships, and the freight of the emotional legacy we carry. Recently presented to rave reviews at the Avignon Festival, MAMI is a visual poem about the mother-child relationship, a show that serves as a tribute to the women who nurtured us.

Note: This performance includes the use of smoke, sound of fireworks, smell of incense, nudity, violence.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Mario Banushi was born in 1998 and lived in Albania until the age of six, when he moved permanently to Greece. He studied acting at the Drama School of the Athens Conservatory, graduating in 2020. That same year, he created his first short film, Pranvera, which was selected for the 2021 Tirana International Film Festival. His directorial debut in theatre was Ragada, a performance developed and presented in a private home in Athens during the pandemic lockdowns. In 2023, Banushi premiered his second work, Goodbye, Lindita, at the Experimental Stage of the National Theatre of Greece. The production quickly garnered critical acclaim and a devoted audience, leading to sold-out performances and invitations from prestigious international festivals and theatres, including the International Theatre Amsterdam, the Adelaide Festival in Australia, and BITEF in Belgrade. At BITEF, Banushi received both the Special Award “Jovan Ćirilov” and the Politika Award for Best Director. His third work, Taverna Miresia – Mario Bella Anastasia, premiered in July 2023 at the Athens Epidaurus Festival, where it played to sold-out audiences. It has been touring internationally since early 2024. These three works are often referred to collectively as Romance Familiare—a term meaning “family romance” in Albanian. Banushi’s most recent work, MAMI, is an international co-production between Onassis Stegi, Berliner Festspiele, FOG Festival / Triennale Milano Teatro, Espoo Theatre, Festival d’Avignon, Grec Festival Barcelona, Théâtre de Liège and Noorderzon Festival / Grand Theatre Groningen. It premiered in February 2025 and continues the visual and poetic language of his earlier work—described as a performance of “visual excellence with a dash of magic.” The production received widespread acclaim following its French premiere at Festival d’Avignon 2025, with Le Monde and Libération publishing rave reviews that praised its emotional depth and distinctive theatrical vision. He is an Onassis AiR Fellow for 2023–24 through the Dramaturgy.

CREDITS

FUNDING + SUPPORT

Commissioned and produced by Onassis Stegi [GR].

In collaboration with OMAZ Civic Non-Profit Company. 

Co-produced by: Berliner Festspiele [DE], Odéon – Théâtre de l’Europe [FR], FOG festival / Triennale Milano Teatro [IT], & Espoo Theatre [FI], Festival d’Avignon [FR], Grec Festival Barcelona [ES], Théâtre de Liège [BE], Noorderzon Festival / Grand Theatre Groningen [NL]. 

Initial research and development were made possible with the support of the Onassis AiR Fellowship [GR] and the Centre Culturel Hellénique – Paris [FR]. 

Τhe presentation of MAMI is supported by the Onassis Stegi Touring Program. 

With the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Greece.

NYU Skirball’s programs are made possible in part with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the Howard Gilman Foundation; Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels; Culture Ireland; General Delegation of the Government of Flanders to the USA; Goethe Institut New York with support from the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany; The Shubert Foundation; Collins Building Services; Norwegian Consulate General in New York; Harkness Foundation for Dance; Marta Heflin Foundation; and New England Foundation for the Arts; as well as our valued donors through memberships, commissioning, and Allies for Arts Access Fund support.

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