Translations

Brian Friel's landmark play Translations receives its Cyprus premiere at the THoK Central Stage in Nicosia, directed by Patrick Myles, opening Saturday, March 28, 2026. The production runs through May 9 at THoK, with a tour to Paphos, Larnaca, and Limassol. Running time is 105 minutes with an intermission. Please note that peat scent is used during the performance.

Tickets: €15 regular | €6 reduced.

Written in 1980, Translations is set in rural Donegal, Ireland in 1833 — a period of profound upheaval. A small community gathered in a hedge school confronts the first British Ordnance Survey of Ireland, the anglicisation of Irish place names, and the replacement of traditional education with a new national school system. As familiar landmarks are renamed and the native language transformed, what had seemed permanent begins to dissolve — and the gradual erosion of cultural identity becomes the play's quiet, devastating subject.

Friel described Translations as "a play about language" — but language here is not a neutral medium. It is a site of power, misunderstanding, imposition, and resistance. Director Patrick Myles, who co-translated the work with collaborating director Andreas Tselepas, approaches the period with realist precision while activating a network of resonances that connect 19th-century Ireland to colonial Cyprus — giving the production particular weight for Cypriot audiences.

Cast: Alexia Alexi, Graham Butler, Andreas Daniil, Nigel Hastings, Semeli Kyriazi, Marina Mandri, Andreas Papamichalopoulou, Giorgos Mouaimis, Michalis Moustakkas, Andreas Tselepas.

Surtitles: April 4 (English) | April 24 (English & Turkish) | April 25 (Greek) | May 15 (English & Turkish).

Important: The performance begins exactly on time. Latecomers will not be admitted and tickets are non-refundable. For wheelchair-accessible seating contact THoK at 77 77 27 17.