Taverna Miresia - Mario, Bella, Anastasia

A searing and deeply human portrait of mourning from a rising star of international theatre.

“Mario Banushi is one of the most important new voices in European theatre” – TheaterSpektakel,

Never before seen in the UK, Albanian actor/director Banushi was hailed as an extraordinary new talent by international critics at The National Theatre of Greece.

“A dazzling new talent“ – The Guardian

Rooted in personal experience, Taverna Miresia is a beautiful and profoundly touching exploration of loss, family and immigrant identity, as Banushi watches his sisters and stepmother mourn his father’s death. The only man left in the family, Banushi found himself surrounded by the women’s grief, and it is this experience that he brings so movingly to the stage.

A neon restaurant sign reading Taverna Miresia (“Restaurant of Kindness”), in the Albanian capital Tirana, sheds light on the history of a family. At its heart was the father, cook and owner, who used to welcome customers every night. Years later Banushi, who now lives in Greece, took that sign from Tirana to Athens, placing it at the centre of the semi-autobiographical world he creates.

“Mario Banushi, a Greek playwright of Albanian heritage, is a rising star who represents the new face of Greek theatre.” – Arifa Akbar, The Guardian

Performed without words.