In 2024 TLP published a graphic novel describing how the stars of Near East shadow theatre, Hacivad/Hacivat and Karagiozis/Karagöz, travelled to Lausanne in 1922 in search of oil and freedom. In fact, it appears, the comic duo were busy entertaining the Hellenic Army at hundreds of improvised theatres across Anatolia. In this conversation, recorded on 28 September 2026, Anthi begins by setting shadow theatre in the context of the wide range of entertainments available to Greek troops. She introduces us to some of the soldier-puppeteers, many of whom appear to have gone professional once peace broke out. Although some performances had military themes, others sought to make patriotic analogies between 1921 and the Greek independence war of a century prior. Like the Hellenic Army newspapers on which Anthi’s research draws, shadow theatre operated under state censorship. The free-wheeling spirit of puppet theatre as well as its appeal to non-Greek communities across the former Ottoman Empire nonetheless ensured that performances were attended and enjoyed by audiences who were not Greeks serving in uniform.

The basis for this discussion is an essay Anthi published in the 2026 volume From Smyrna to İzmir: Aspects of Transition from the 19th Century to 1922. History, Culture and Memory. To find out more about Anthi’s research, please visit her Academia page. For more puppetry, listen to Julia Secklehner’s podcast with leading Greek puppeteer Spyros Aggelopoulos.

Episode 86 – Karagiozis at the Front

FEATURE IMAGE: Yiannis Ntagiakos, 2023. Courtesy of Anthi Chotzakoglou.

Podcasts are published by TLP for the purpose of encouraging informed debate on the legacies of the events surrounding the Lausanne Conference. The views expressed by participants do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of TLP, its partners, convenors or members.