Heterotopia is a non-profit creative research studio based in Athens. We are working to raise the profile of theatre, performance and hybrid creative arts practice across the Greek heritage sector by promoting their value as research, interpretation, and engagement tools for museums, archives, historic environments, and sites of memory.
We undertake collaborative, practice-based research that draws on performance theory and practice to broaden common dialogue about the past: revealing hidden aspects of history, making connections with the present.
Heterotopia supports knowledge sharing and networking across what is now a growing community of practice in Greece. We are helping to connect people, organisations and initiatives that are involved in heritage research, live interpretation, and audience engagement; as well as museum theatre, performance, role-play and re-enactment.
Each of our projects brings together a unique creative team, from different sectors and disciplines, but Heterotopia’s day-to-day administration and project management is overseen by the company’s founders: Dr Foteini Venieri and Rebecca Shelley.
Dr Foteini Venieri is an adjunct lecturer in museum studies at the Department of Communication, Media and Culture of Panteion University. Since 2017, as co-chair of Heterotopia, she has designed and staged museum theatre performances in archaeological sites and museums, and leads new research focusing on the use of museum theatre and digital media in the interpretation of cultural heritage.
A graduate of the Department of Theatre Studies of the School of Philosophy of the University of Athens, Foteini went on to follow postgraduate studies in Cultural Management at the Department of Communication, Media and Culture of Panteion University, supported by the State Scholarship Foundation. She holds a PhD in museum theatre from the University of Thessaly, funded by scholarships from the Leventis Foundation and the Papadakis endowment. Her post-doctoral research on the use of dialogical practices in museums was carried out at the Department of Communication, Media and Culture of Panteion University, under State Scholarship Foundation (IKY) funding
She has taught at the MA Creative Writing, Theatre and Cultural Industries of the University of Peloponnese (2023-24), at the Department of Theatre Studies of the University of Athens (2021-2022), at the Department of Archives, Library Science and Museology of the Ionion University (2019-2020), and at the Public History (2019-2022) and Creative Writing (2018,2019) postgraduate programs of the Hellenic Open University. She has also been a member of the research team on several research projects into the creation of digital storytelling applications for heritage interpretation. Her research articles are available in international and Greek scientific journals and her book on museum theatre has just been published by Disigma Publications (in greek).
Rebecca Shelley is a producer and programme manager specialised in arts education and public engagement in heritage settings. Since 2017, as a co-chair of Heterotopia, she has supported the design and delivery of museum theatre programmes and research projects in partnership with Greek archaeological sites, archives and museums.
A graduate of Rose Bruford College, UK (European Theatre Arts) and the Erasmus Mundus MA in International Performance Research (University of Arts Belgrade, RS and University of Warwick, UK), Rebecca has been working with cultural institutions, heritage attractions and civil society organisations for around twenty years – primarily in Belgium, Greece and the United Kingdom.
In addition to the design and management of learning & engagement programmes concerning our environmental and cultural heritage, Rebecca is also experienced in strategic planning, staff/volunteer training, and visitor experience evaluation. She currently serves as a trustee of the UK branch of Europa Nostra: the pan-European federation for cultural heritage.
