Field Guide [to the Lost Flower] is a multimedia music theatre piece by composer Michalis Paraskakis based on my poetry. I attended the premiere on Saturday June 7, 2025 at Subset Festival / Athens Epidaurus Festival.

Inspired by my poetry collection Field Guide to the Lost Flower of Crete (MQUP), the work weaves together music, text, video, theater and electronics into a unified immersive performance. The five central characters are four performers and a grand piano. The latter transforms into a multi-functional object—a stage, instrument, and overall physical entity that drives the entire action.

During a live streamed pandemic conversation Michalis and I discussed our creative process and you can read an excerpt here.

*

The Athens Epidaurus Festival is Greece’s leading cultural organisation and one of the oldest continuously running festivals in Europe. Spanning 69 years, the Festival has welcomed some of the greatest music, dance, and theatre artists of the international and local scene, in collaboration with the most prestigious Greek and international organisations, attracting large audiences from around the world.

Flower photo by Michalis Paraskakis.