My love for theatre is endless. The stage is my freedom… I have had the priviledge to be on stage for the last 25 years, however never have I faced such a challenging role. I am honoured to play Eleni. Eleni is a daughter, a care-giver, a best friend and a wife. Some of you tonight may judge her harshly and some will relate to her. Nonetheless Eleni is real. She is sad, angry, hurt, lonely and a prisoner to her routine life. A foreigner will bring foreign emotions such as happiness and love. What will she choose? Will her choice be forgiven? What lesson does life have in store for her? We mustn’t forget that her heart is in the right place.

This project is very dear to me. A little over a year ago I found myself in Greece on a boat with endless refugees. Frightened, hungry, misunderstood and remarkably looked down upon by others. What I saw, was heartache and eyes full of hope.

I met George Scandalis while we were young teenagers in a theatre group. I am so proud and honoured not only to share the stage with him (again), or to play Eleni, but beyond proud of this show and his imagination. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Angels are watching over you and I am applauding with them!

First generation Greek born and raised in Canada with the love and support of his parents Zoe and Xenophon Scandalis celebrated Hellenic culture and imprinted that passion and pride through to their children in every stage of life.

At the age of 3, George was an active member of the Cretan Association Syllogo in Toronto and with the Greek Community of Toronto as a member of Nefeli Theatre Arts who at the later age of 18 became a teacher of Modern and Greek Folkloric dance.

His passion of Greek culture and arts led him on a path of discovery to Greece in 2004 where he found fame and success as a Greek actor/entertainer. Touring all of Greece with various theatrical productions and notoriety from the TV reality Dream Show hosted by Alpha channel his dreams and passions were merged. That same passion drove him to write his first Greek theatrical script Η ΕΠΙΛΟΓΗ.

This has been a dream of mine I never thought to be a possible reality. When George first asked me to play the part, I didn’t think he was being serious.


This is my first time on stage and to be a part of something so big. I’ve seen the show develop from Day 1 to completion and I hope everyone can appreciate the hard work put in by all of the production team, the cast, our supporting families, and most importantly George.

George thank you for this incredible opportunity. Playing Dimitri was a difficult task because of the depth and real emotions George wrote into his character. It’s not often at this age and at this stage of life we get to try new things.

I’m forever grateful.

A child of the Diaspora, Nancy was always aware of a need to discover the meaning of being Greek but more so to, in fact immerse herself in her Greek heritage. Her first words were in the Greek mother tongue, so it followed as she began to crawl, walk and run that her path would lead her to her Greek roots. Studying later in Greece on scholarships to research the various regions, she was completely overtaken by the sense of freedom of movement and the extreme emotions that come from folk dancing, inspiring her to expand this into a study of performing arts and developing in the process, her signature choreography and direction in Greek Drama and Dance Theatre.

A performer and actor on stage, film and television while in Australia, Nancy also directed and ran her own school and Greek Folklore Centre. In 1990, she arrived in Toronto and brought with her a myriad of priceless authentic traditional and theatrical costumes, regional artifacts and treasures, a library of plays, research books and music that she has continued to curate and expand and the circle brings her back to now running her own school once more when one would think she would be ready to retire. As the artistic director of the Greek Community of Toronto for 23 years, Nancy created a dynamic group of performers, Theatre Nefeli, garnering national and international acclaim, winning countless prestigious awards and most importantly for her, the genuine love and admiration of the audiences. It is no wonder that she can’t seem to stop … her need to inspire and pass on this Hellenic Spirit to future talented performers is stronger than it ever was in her youth.


She is now elated to see one of her former students and star performers venture into his own creative realm. Kindred spirits, George performed, choreographed, assisted in directing and indeed inspired the group carrying on and helping lead classes, rehearsals and group morale. Nancy felt confident that one day in the future she would be handing off the reigns to this brilliant young man … Life took George in a different direction for some time but the never ending circle that binds them brought them back to where it makes sense.
So now that George is testing the waters of his creativity, how could Nancy not dive in with him and experience this defining moment with her pupil, dear friend and artistic counterpart? Nancy finds herself once more on the stage, as an actor, exploring her own talent and pushing her own skills as she brings her character to life.

This is a day that she has dreamed of for so very long and the reality is more splendid than any dream could ever be.