How Many People Can Fit on My Balcony

A music and visual theatre performance for children and adults, inspired by the award-winning book A Dinosaur on My Balcony by Sakis Serefas.

Combining live music, storytelling, and video art, the performance takes audiences on a journey through the Thessaloniki of yesterday and today, inviting them into a dreamlike exploration of the city's history, memory, and cultural diversity.

Perched on the head of his unusual friend, a dinosaur named Savros, young Giannis wanders through Thessaloniki’s neighbourhoods, squares, and monuments, discovering “how ancient, continuous and multicultural its history is, and how what we experience as the present will one day become a valuable testimony for future generations.”

On stage, original music and creative reinterpretations of Thessaloniki’s diverse musical traditions engage in a dialogue with storytelling and video art, offering audiences an immersive experience of the city as a living mosaic of cultures. The performance highlights the importance of preserving cultural memory and embracing diversity as essential elements of everyday life.

Dedicated to coexistence, plurality, and the stories of the people of Thessaloniki, the performance speaks to children, teenagers, and adults alike.

Creative Team

Text: Sakis Serefas
Direction: Elena Moudiri Chasiotou
Dramaturgy: Melina Garbi
Music: Vaggelis Vrachnos, Periklis Vrachnos, Onur Şentürk
Video Art: Efcharis Dobrou Leontopoulou
Production Concept, Coordination & Communications: Tessie Giannakina
Production: olipoli – Community of Music Practice & Research
Archival Photography: “Old Photographs of Thessaloniki” Group

Performers

Vaggelis Vrachnos – double bass
Periklis Vrachnos – violin
Elena Moudiri Chasiotou – vocals, percussion, narration
Elsa Mouratidou – vocals, narration
James Wylie – kamancheh, saxophone
Onur Şentürk – Pontic lyra, saz
Markos Koutof Gerontidis – in the role of young Giannis
Efcharis Dobrou Leontopoulou – video art operation

The video art projection is presented selectively and functions as a complementary element to the storytelling and live music.

Suitable for children, teenagers, and adults.

This production was presented as part of the parallel programme of the Open Theatre Stage of Thessaloniki 2026, organized by the Directorate of Culture and Tourism of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

The performance was originally premiered at the Islahane Cultural Multi-Space as part of the Ministry of Culture’s programme All of Greece, One Culture 2025.