The Greek Play Project | Tonino Disappears

Playwright: Sofianna Theofanous

Tonino, a schoolboy who has grown tired of school and all his obligations, meets Lies, a colourful and charming creature who promises to make him invisible so that he can escape everything that weighs him down. Tonino eagerly accepts and begins to lie, gaining the ability to become invisible. At first, his invisible life seems exciting: he plays pranks on Roberto, the good student, rides the trolleybus without a ticket and steals sweets from Betty’s pastry shop. But soon the situation gets out of control. Wherever he goes, he causes chaos; other people are unfairly blamed for his actions, and eventually he loses his friends Roberto and Wiskardo, who quarrel with each other because of him. When he returns home, he discovers that neither his mother nor his father can see him, and he feels profoundly lonely. Desperate, he meets an old man dressed in grey in the park, who turns out to be Truth, the brother of Lies. After a confrontation between the two, Tonino must choose: continue with Lies or choose Truth. Despite the allure of Lies, Tonino decides to drive Lies away and follow Truth, realising that this is the only way he can regain his friends, his family and himself. At the end, Lies is already looking for the next child who will fall into his trap.