By: Brianna Viscusi

(Tarpon Springs, Florida) Art is defined as creation meant to communicate or appeal to the senses or the mind.

          from blogs.spcollege.edu

Humans thrive through connectivity, so what better way than freely expressing ourselves through artistry to collectively admire and inspire?

Local artist and St. Petersburg College professor Elizabeth Indianos wrote and directed Libertaire, an award-winning screenplay.

During a personal interview with Indianos, I was curious to find out if she believed the amalgamation of music and poetry was the epitome of a playwright.

“We rely on all of our senses to engage people,” said Indianos.

She explained to me the depths of her creative process when speaking about directing, “It is hard to see where one ends and the other picks up.” So yes, art is indeed a mixture of all the things that flow within us.

Libertaire, an innovative art form is a compilation of screenwriting, passion, dedication, and music; her poem bloomed into life, and now a world premiered play. The artist asserted the necessity for a community to unite through art.

“Liberty in itself is unifying; I want this story to seep into culture.”

Indianos admits that bringing her characters to life, “Is my calling – what my soul has directed me to do – not a job but a destiny.” Her characters become her responsibility, and she feels it is her job to bring them to life. She explained that to make her characters come alive, she must literally become the character herself. “You can love a stranger; the soul knows no time.” Her powerful statements reveal her deep and genuine connection to her characters, giving me deep appreciation for Libertaire’s art form.

In her play, Libertaire, Indianos’ motivation came from her character, Auguste Bartholdi, who was a French artist. After war, Bartholdi loses his home and becomes determined to create the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was created to be symbolic of a motherly figure who freely gives without expectation of anything in return. “Bartholdi knew the world needed love and believed Lady Liberty was the answer.”

The other character Indianos creates, Joseph Pulitzer, felt the same as Bartholdi. Despite being treated harshly, he became deeply determined and passionate about fighting for the poor and against the rich and ignorant.

Observing Indianos’ array of art forms, it is simple to see that she uniquely creates all versions of the truth, from her paintings of people, from her sculptures of nature, to her raw historical writing. The truth is revealed through the freedom of artistic expression.

Thank you for the support from: St. Petersburg College, AFGLC (American Foundation of Greek Language and Culture), LWV (League of Women Voters, DAR- Daughters of the American Revolution, Palm Harbor University High School, Community Theatre, City Government including the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Chris Alahouzos the Mayor of Tarpon Springs, Provost Rodney Davis of St. Petersburg College on the Tarpon Springs Campus, Adamantia Klotsa the Greek Consult General, and many more people from our local community.

Please come support, adore, encourage, and engage with Elizabeth Indianos at her premiere of Libertaire on April 27^th – 29^th at:

Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center: 324 Pine Street (Inside City Hall).

Times:

April 27th – 7:30 p.m.

April 28^th –  7:30 p.m.

April 29th – 2:00 p.m.

Please order tickets online at:

http://tarponarts.org/event/libertaire-the-play-2/