Petros Zavrakas is the Executive Director of the festival and, since 2012, the longest-standing member of the Berlin-based Greek theater group ithAKT. As an actor he has been on stage across more than a decade of the ensemble’s work – from its debut Migronauten (2012) to the twenty-five-strong Antigone – A ski tragedy (2025). Beyond ithAKT, he has performed in further productions, including the youth theater project Unser Lied: Die Aufführung and Ja, aber…, and has occasionally supported various productions behind the scenes with graphics and online promotion. He is also a co-founder of the organisation artakti e.V.

As a disabled artist, Petros uses his artistic practice to bring disability into focus and to advocate for the rights of disabled people to inclusion and accessibility – not only in everyday social life, but also in the theater itself, for audiences and disabled performers alike. Making performances accessible is a central concern of his work, and one he pursues hands-on. This commitment is reflected in Ja, aber… (directed by Elena Sokratous, Berlin 2023), a performance by, with and for disabled and non-disabled people, which he helped shape not only as a performer but as a co-creator.

Away from the stage, Petros is a software engineer who leads development teams, and he brings that same instinct for structure, mentoring, and calm coordination to running the festival. As Executive Director he holds the whole operation together: aligning artists and partners, keeping productions on track, and turning a shared creative vision into a festival that actually happens.

Elena Sokratous is a Cypriot theater director, artistic director of the Greek Theater Festival Berlin, and founder of the organisation artakti e.V., based in Berlin. Since 2009, she has created more than 30 theater productions presented in Germany, Cyprus, and Greece, with her work travelling to international festivals and European platforms. She is the founder of the theater companies ek-drasis (Limassol, 2009) and ithAKT (Berlin, 2012), and co-founder of Koulou|Makka (Limassol, 2022). Her productions have been presented, among others, at the National Theater of Northern Greece, the Cyprus Theater Organisation, and within the framework of the European Theater Conference.

Her artistic practice is rooted in political theater and explores questions of women’s self-determination, social justice, minority voices, vulnerable communities, diverse bodies, and accessibility in the performing arts. Through her work, she creates spaces where theater becomes a field of encounter, reflection, and transformation — challenging dominant narratives and bringing to the stage bodies and stories that have traditionally remained unseen or unheard. Her artistic research focuses on developing inclusive practices that expand who can be represented, who can participate, and whose voices can shape contemporary theater.

Alongside her directing practice, Elena Sokratous works as a theater educator and cultural facilitator. Since 2015, she has collaborated with ASSITEJ Germany and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, designing and implementing theater education programmes for children, young people, and communities. Her work connects artistic excellence with social responsibility, creating bridges between theater, education, participation, and inclusion.