Maria Dimaki-Zora is an Associate Professor at the Department of Primary Education of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), specializing in Modern Greek Dramaturgy and Culture.
She holds a degree in Philology from the Faculty of Philology, School of Philosophy, NKUA, where she also completed her PhD in Modern Greek Literature as a State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) fellow. Her doctoral dissertation, titled Spyridon N. Vassiliadis (1845–1874): Life and Works, was published by the Kostas and Eleni Ouranis Foundation of the Academy of Athens in 2002. She also conducted postdoctoral research in 2015 under the title Contemporary Trends in the Evolution of Modern Greek Dramaturgy: The Language of the Texts.
She has participated—and continues to participate—as a researcher in international research programs, including:
Theatrum Mundi – A Journey through European Performing Arts (Creative Europe: Culture, 2016–2017)
Values Across Space and Time (HORIZON 2020, 2021–2023)
She currently serves as Director of the Laboratory of Art and Discourse at the Department of Primary Education (NKUA). She has presented her work at both national and international conferences, and has authored monographs and scholarly articles on Modern Greek dramaturgy and 19th–20th-century literature, as well as on theatre for young audiences.
Since 2016, she has been the editor-in-chief of the book series Theatre for Children and Young People, published by Kapa Publishing, which features theatrical works for young audiences. She is also a member of the State Award Committee for Playwriting for Children, under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.
Her books include:
Theatrical Pages. Studies on Modern Greek Dramaturgy and Theatre for Young Audiences, [Theatrologica VII – Edenda Curat Walter Puchner], Herodotos, Athens 2018
Modern Greek Dramaturgy at the Heights of Parnassos. Theatre and Culture in 19th- and 20th-century Athens, published by the Philological Society "Parnassos", Athens 2021
Selected recent publications include:
Dimaki-Zora, M. (2020). “Aspects, Representations, and Refractions of the Economic Crisis in Contemporary Greek Dramaturgy.” In V. Sambatakakis (Ed.), The Greek World in Periods of Crisis and Recovery (1204–2018), vol. V, Proceedings of the 6th European Congress of Modern Greek Studies (Lund, 4–7 October 2018), European Society of Modern Greek Studies, Athens, pp. 421–436.
Dimaki-Zora, M. (2021). “The Fourth Dimension in Eugene Trivizas’s Play Twelve Minus Twelve.” In Time in Theatre. Theatrical Memory of a Timeless Present, ed. Th. Grammatas, ed. S. Papadopoulos, Papazisis Publications, Athens, pp. 371–383.
Dimaki-Zora, M., & Tzamargias, T. (2021). “Theatre for Young Audiences: Qualitative Research Methods for Text and Performance.” In K. Fanouraki & G. P. Pefanis (Eds.), Applied Theatre: Qualitative Methods of Research and Learning through Performing Arts, Papazisis Publications, Athens, pp. 253–269.
Gkerlektsi, Th., & Dimaki-Zora, M. (2021). “Applied Theatre in Greece: Skipping from Crisis to Crisis.” Journal of Literary Education, 5, 144–161.
Dimaki-Zora, M. (2022). “Identity and Theatrical Role in Manos Kontoleon’s Mask on the Moon: The Emergence of Personality through the Mask.” In V. Patsiou (Ed.), Proceedings of the Tribute Day for Manos Kontoleon: 40 Years – I Was Always Searching for the Words, Diadrasi Publications, Athens, pp. 185–193.
Dimaki-Zora, M. (2023). “Six Characters (for Children and Adolescents) in Search of a Playwright: Greek Dramaturgy for Young Audiences and the Challenges of the 21st Century.” In E. Prousali (Ed.), Performing Arts in the 21st Century: Contemporary Practices and New Perspectives, Hellenic Theatre and Performing Arts Critics Association, Eurasia Publications, Athens, pp. 538–543.
