Venue: Apollon Theater, Syros
Town: Ermoupoli, GR

The Apollo Theater, also known as the Municipal Theater "Apollo", is a theater located in Ermoupolis on Syros in the Cyclades. A cultural icon of the city, it was built in 1862-1864 to the designs of the Italian architect Pietro Sampò and opened on 20 April 1864. In Ermoupoli, during the period 1830-1860 there was a great theatrical movement. On 30 October 1861, the City Council accepted the citizens' proposals and unanimously decided to build a theatre and a theater club in the central square. The construction costs of the theater were estimated at 60,000 drachmas, but in spite of controversy, a permanent roof replaced the wooden warehouses, clubs and cafes of Ermoupoli which had sheltered players since 1828. It was received with relief from the theater-loving public. Construction began at the end of 1862, close to the Miaouli Square, supervised by the architect Pietro Sambo who then worked as an architect in the town hall of Ermoupolis. On 20 April 1864, it was opened in the presence of Michalis Salvagos. The first performances were, following the opening night's Rigoletto, four melodramas: La favorita, La traviata, the Survivors and the Cobblers, played by an Italian company. In April 1866, the theater was given to a Greek theater company, the Hellenic Drama Society, a move which, in a letter dated 22 February 1866, Ragavis (as chairman of the National Theater Committee) had recommended to the Apollo Theater Committee. The building underwent major overhauls in 1874, 1881, 1890 (seats and scene) and 1896 (general). After the construction of the new building, the development of the theatrical movement continued, following the prosperity of the city. The theater bloomed throughout the interwar period and the greatest names of modern Greek theater appeared on its stage. During the Second World War, the theater suffered disasters which necessitated post-war interventions, altering the building's appearance. During the Greco-Italian War, the theatre was being used as a