There are nights that begin with a line-up, and then there are nights that evolve into something much bigger than that.

On Saturday, September 19, Full Circle returned to Playground 260 for an evening that started with movement, electronic music, collective experience and ended by bringing SUCO, Maarkk, Man With The Speaker, Avangart Tabldot and WhoMadeWho together on the same stage.

The night did not start at the decks.

It began with focus on the body.

Before the dancefloor even filled, the audience took part in SUCO, an experiential practice that approaches meditation through movement, breathing, shaking and dance.

With headphones and a guided experience led by a facilitator, SUCO created a different way to enter the night: not by observing, but by participating. Movement became a tool for expression, while music became a way to connect with the body, emotions and the people around us.

It was a first statement of what was to come.

The musical baton was then passed to Full Circle residents MAARKK and MAN WITH THE SPEAKER, who gradually opened up the dancefloor and built the musical momentum of the night.

MAARKK, co-founder of Full Circle with many years of experience in the electronic music scene, moves between groovy basslines, melodic elements and breakbeat rhythms, while MAN WITH THE SPEAKER is known for his genre-blending sets and his ability to read the energy of every space.

From there, the journey began.

For the third time, Avangart Tabldot joined Full Circle with their distinctive groove.

The Turkish trio of Ata, Aytek and Semih has established a unique position within the international electronic scene in recent years, with releases on labels including Innervisions, VOD, TAU, Madorasindahouse and Siamese, as well as through their own Crib Records.

At Playground 260, their set carried exactly that energy: groove, movement and constant evolution. At the same time, they presented music from their recent discography, with their new release Love.Exe having come out just a few days before their appearance in Athens.

The dancefloor had now transformed into a single body.

And then came the moment for WhoMadeWho.

The Danish group has long crossed the boundaries between live band, electronic music and club culture, creating a sound that combines electronic production, rock, jazz and songwriting.

At Playground 260, WhoMadeWho’s hybrid DJ set was presented by Tomas Høffding and Tomas Barfod, two of the group’s core members.

Their performance became the climax of the night. With a set that moved between their distinctive sonic universe and the energy of the dancefloor, the two Tomas brought their own interpretation of the WhoMadeWho experience to the evening.

It was not simply another big name on the line-up.

It was the moment when everything that had come before — SUCO’s movement, the residents’ opening sets and Avangart Tabldot’s groove — came together on one shared dancefloor.

And like every circle, the night had to return to its beginning.

After WhoMadeWho, MAARKK and MAN WITH THE SPEAKER returned to the decks for the closing set, keeping Playground 260 alive until the very end.

From SUCO’s guided movement to the final beat, the night followed a clear journey:

body → emotion → music → connection → dancefloor

This was Full Circle-Join The Circle at Playground 260.

Not simply an event.

An experience that began individually and ended collectively.

The post Full Circle At Playground 260 appeared first on Licence Magazine.

Sophie Zanninou is one of the most beloved and enduring artists of the Greek performing arts, with more than fifty years of uninterrupted presence in theatre, film, television and music. With a career filled with remarkable collaborations, unforgettable roles and experiences alongside some of Greece’s greatest artists and creators, she continues to serve her craft with the same passion and dedication. In the interview that follows, she reflects on the defining moments of her journey, the dreams left unfulfilled, the changes in the entertainment industry and the values that have shaped both her life and career.

You have a career spanning decades in theater, song and television. If you could turn back time, is there a moment in your career you would live the same way?

There are many such moments, because I was lucky to work with great artists such as Thanassis Veggos, Kostas Chatzihristos, Nikos Stavridis, Nikos Perakis, Harry Klin, Antonis Kafetzopoulos, Nikos Kalogeropoulos, Georgia Vassiliadou, Maria Georgiadou, Smaragda Karidi, Alekos Syssovitis, Chryssoula Diavati and many more.

As for television, I worked with Nikos Sergianopoulos, Mirka Papakonstantinou, Jessie Papoutsi and Penelope Pitsouli.

Also in the theater with Giannis Zouganelis, Eleni Kastani, Antonis Loudaros, Zeta Douka, Penelope Anastassopoulou. With all the old directors such as Alekos Sakellarios, Orestis Laskos, Kostas Karayiannis, Leo Bartlett. I sang with Giorgos Marinos, Marinella, Giorgos Gerolymatos, Harry Klin, the Tzavara brothers, Dakis, Thanasis Bratzioti, Giannis Zouganelis and many others.

You were fortunate to collaborate with distinguished artists of the Greek theater and cinema. Who taught you the most important lesson and which memory from those years do you still keep alive?

I especially remember collaborations with maestros such as Giorgos Katsaros, Mimis Plessas, Giorgos Pagiatis, Giorgos Theodosiadis, Giorgos Chatzinassios. The most important lesson I learned from them is respect.

Is there a great Greek actor or artist you never had the chance to meet or work with and would have loved to?

I had an unfulfilled collaboration with Manos Hadjidakis. When the iconic Athens Tower, the country’s first 26-story skyscraper, was being built, businessman Dimitris Antonakis envisioned an ultra-luxurious roof garden at its top and entrusted Manos Hadjidakis. Discussions took place; the concept was locked. With exhaustive rehearsals completed, the act reached the final rehearsal. Unfortunately, there was never a premiere.

How do you think the theater and entertainment field has changed from the time you started until today? Are these changes mostly positive or negative?

There are changes and there aren’t. Everyone says that back then there were those stunning and great actors. Yet, because I work with many very young actors, I must tell you I have seen exceptional talents, girls and boys, whom I have admired and applauded. We have equally great actors as in the old days and time will prove me right, because we truly have very good actors. Things change anyway; the tools are different, and old performances had their magic, but new ones with new tools, such as lights, sound, etc., also create a magical result.

Right now you are involved in new artistic works and collaborations. What excites you most about each new professional step?

That I must portray and adopt a new character like the one I did in the Grand Hotel TV series, which I had never done before and there is always a tremendous charm and a strong challenge in everything new. Now, in the Your Face Sounds Familiar TV show, I was teaching acting and it was a major challenge because we did 120 disguises, i.e., the artists impersonated 120 different characters, different singers and that was a great charm, a great challenge and we pulled it off. That was a great joy for the EXCEPTIONAL participants and me!!! Wonderful, talented singers and actors, each better than the other.

Family has played a significant role in your life and in shaping your personality. What values have you tried to pass on to your own family?

What I took from my own family is honesty, courage, hard work and love.

As a mother and a woman with a lot of life experience, what do you consider the most important advice you would give today to young people?

Usually, I don’t advise people because every person is unique; every character is unique; what may suit me may not suit another person. Just go with honesty in everything you do because that gives truth and you see the real image of any situation. Always proceed with honesty, open-mindedness and open-heartedness, without a second thought and you will nail it. Whenever people go with malice and cunning, they are ruined. Whatever you do, do it with sincerity, courage and love. The universe will compensate you. There is a cosmic balance, as if everything we do is recorded: the good and the bad. What we sow is what we reap; that is the only sure thing.

Having worked with many generations of artists, how do you see the new generation of actors and singers? Do you notice the same passion that existed before?

Of course I see it, but I also see another thing: the older generation was usually experiential; there were no acting schools, and there were not many stimuli; now all the young actors, singers, and dancers receive a great education, and this is a great asset for an artistic career.

What qualities should a young artist have to endure in the field and build a career with longevity rather than just a momentary success?

Money and fame should come second. Colleagues and the quality of the work should be priorities, as should the love of making artistic work.

If Sophia Zanninou could leave a message to the people who have followed her all these years, what would it be?

I love them from the bottom of my heart because without those who love me, I wouldn’t exist. I thank them from my heart for honoring me with their love.

The post Sophie Zanninou Has An Uninterrupted Presence In The Performing Arts appeared first on Licence Magazine.

Darina Al Joundi is a Lebanese-born actress and writer whose work spans theatre, film and television in Arabic, French and English. She began performing as a child in Beirut and later emigrated to France, where she built a stage career and co-wrote the acclaimed one-woman show Le jour où Nina Simone a cessé de chanter, which explores exile, trauma and citizenship. Her performance at the 2012 Avignon Festival drew high-profile attention and helped accelerate her naturalization as a French citizen. Al Joundi has appeared in international films and series—including Our River…Our Sky and The Man Who Sold His Skin—and frequently speaks on women’s rights and refugee experiences. Her work is noted for mixing personal testimony with political themes.

Can you share some moments of your childhood and how your family and environment influenced you to develop a more global view?

I had a father who was a writer, journalist and a philosophy and Arabic language teacher and a mother who was one of the first radio speakers in the Middle East. Thanks to my father and his friends and the life he used to have, we were always surrounded by poets, writers and journalists. There were always parties at the house. Also, wine was always floating in the music. So, I had a childhood full of knowledge, books, happiness, friends, and very interesting discussions for a child like me. My father used to give me books to read from a very young age. He offered me the chance to watch movies and to listen to music. He had a lot of influence on my evolution in the arts, culture and knowledge.

Of course, I started acting at the age of eight on Lebanese TV. So, since my childhood, I was a working child as an actress and that very much influenced my childhood. I didn’t have a childhood that resembled others. I had to go to the shooting twice a week while going to school and then there was this atmosphere at home that made our lives full of joy, culture, music and happiness.

What motivated you to transition from Lebanon to France and pursue a career in acting there?

I’ve always been an actress in my life. And the things that I was doing in the Arabic world weren’t sufficient for me. On an artistic level, on a very high-quality level of work. And I wanted more; I wanted something else. I started wanting to leave and work in Europe at a very young age. I left Lebanon for Europe at the end of the 90s. Then went back when my father died in 2001. This is where I had my traumatic experience with the rest of my family, my mother and my sisters. And the minute I had the chance to leave, I left. And I started my new career here. I came for more freedom, more freedom to express myself, more freedom to live daily. I was looking for more professional, personal and intellectual freedom in my life.

How did your one-woman show Le jour où Nina Simone a cessé de chanter reflect your personal struggle to obtain French citizenship?

Well, it wasn’t “Le jour où Nina Simone a cessé de chanter”, which means the day Nina Simone stopped singing, that gave me the French nationality. It was my second play that’s called “Ma Marseillaise,” in English “Marseillaise my way”. This is the play that gave me the nationality. This is a play that talks about my struggle to obtain my papers and my French nationality. One week before the opening of the play, I had the refusal of my papers in France. So, I added this information to my play by the end of the play. And a critic from Le Monde newspaper, the biggest theatre critic in France, came and watched the play. And she wrote an article about the play, saying, “Mariane doesn’t recognize her sisters anymore. Mariane is the symbol of the French Republic”. The same day, the French Interior Minister, who was Emmanuel Valls, called me at the theatre and told me that the problem I had was a very administrative problem. They had to change the law. And he announced to me that he would change the law so I could have the French nationality and represent the Republic in the world as an artist. 

As someone who has spoken at the French Ministry of Women’s Rights, how do you see the intersection of art and activism in promoting gender equality?

Well, I think about how to do it in our work. Each one has to talk about their own convictions. It touches more the author side of my work because, as an actress, I do not always have the choice. Even though I do get a lot of proposals for acting, sometimes they are a bit similar to my way of living and activism. But it’s more on the author’s side because this is where I can express my opinions. But I think it’s only about being sincere and that each one of us talks and expresses their opinions, their experiences. And this is the only way that we can move forward.

You are known for your stage performances, but you also have a notable filmography. Do you prefer theater or cinema and why?

I’m known as a stage performer in Europe and I’m also known abroad. Even though I started when I was eight on TV, I don’t have a preference, actually. Each one of radio, cinema, TV and theater, each one of these ways of expression has its own challenge. Actually, what’s luxurious is time and the place where we have more time than any other kind of work. The theater is the place where we have more time, so we have the time to build the character and then to perform. The day of the premiere is the day when we really start working and it continues working until we stop performing the play. It can be for years and each time you make it better. Things get better, silence gets better. The film is a challenge; it’s very difficult because sometimes we start with the first scene and the next day we do the last scene and three weeks later we go back to the first scene to continue it from another decor set. So all these have to be in an intimate situation, but you are surrounded by hundreds of people. You cannot control anything in the cinema or on TV. Plus, on film, the good thing is that we have a bit more time than on TV. The luxury is time. So, theater can give you this luxury that TV and film don’t give you and it makes it harder to continue being on the same level as the character all the time. So, each part of this way of expression is either theater, film, TV or radio. Radio is another level of expression, another level of work. Each one of them has its own challenges, its own difficulties and its own magic. The magic and the passion are everywhere for me. I love all. I cannot do one and not do the others. I have to jump from one to another, like do TV and then do a film and then do a play, which I do all the time and that makes me really happy and more passionate about my work.

The preference between film, TV and theatre, there’s one thing I would like to add: theatre permits us to condense all the work that we do in months to be able to do it in minutes for the movies or for TV, which means, as actors, we learn the most important thing is to be present in the moment. And theatre is an excellent professor for it and the technique that we use in theatre permits us to use the same technique, but in a very short time, to be able to do the same for a film or for a TV show.

Among your roles in productions like Homeland, Tyrant and The Romanoffs, which character challenged you the most as an actress?

Well, among all these projects, there’s also the New Look; there’s Athena, a film on Netflix by Romain Gavras. There are a lot of films or shows that I did that are really challenging for me. Actually, the last project I did for French TV, which was called “Kabul”, was a big challenge because I had to learn a language that I didn’t know, Dari, one of the Afghan dialects. And we didn’t have a lot of time. It’s a project like in the US; they would do it in six months. We did it in three. A big production for France, but not really for the US as a TV production. But it was very challenging and also the most beautiful experience of shooting in my life. It was a very beautiful experience, an adventure with the crew, with the screenplay, with the directors, and with the other actors. This was a very challenging but very beautiful experience. “Kabul” was for France2FrenchTV.

Your father, Assem Al Joundi, was a prominent author and politician. How did his legacy shape your own path in the arts?

My father was a poet, journalist, writer and militant activist for freedom. He shaped my life not only during my childhood, but also during my adolescence and all parts of my life. His way of thinking, his way of doing things, he was one of a kind; he used to say what he thought and do what he said. He was a real free person and he did it with his own daughters, not just talking about it. I remember our house was always full of his friends, writers, politicians, poets and journalists. There was always music, words and books in my childhood and my youth. And just the way that we used to debate, to discuss, to talk, to drink together, to have fun together. Yes, he showed me how to love life.

And he showed me that to be free, you have to be mainly independent financially and that we have to be responsible towards our freedom and to assume all our actions and their consequences. Then you have the right to be free.

When preparing for roles, especially in emotionally intense works, what is your approach to embodying complex characters?

My approach to the roles that I do is actually very simple and very difficult. It’s just being there in the moment, not before, not after and just live the instance, the second that you are living in. That’s the most difficult and the easiest thing at the same time. It’s a process that you put in your body and your head and your soul. But for me, it’s this: it’s being able to be present in the moment. This is it.

How do you navigate your dual identity as a Lebanese-born actress who is now a French citizen in your work?

There’s no duality for me and there’s no me born a Lebanese actress and being a French citizen. It’s always me. It’s me, the same person. The way I live now resembles my way of being more than the way I used to live before; I’m still the same person. I just have more space, more freedom to express myself, to work, and more chances.

Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that excite you, either in theater or cinema?

Well, the most exciting upcoming project for me is that I’m trying to adapt my second novel, which is called “Prisoner of the Levant”. It’s about the life of May Ziadeh and I’m hoping that by the end of next year, I will be in preparation for shooting my first long feature film and that’s the most exciting project I’ve been working on for five years now, so I hope I’ll be able to do it.

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There is a particular kind of courage required to build something lasting in a place most people are trying to leave. In Eden, North Carolina, a small city tucked into Rockingham County’s gentle hills, that courage has taken architectural form. Purcell House, a professional portrait studio and fine art gallery now occupying 637 Washington Street in the Leaksville Historic District, opened its doors on July 3rd and 4th with an inaugural exhibition that feels less like a debut and more like a reckoning.

The exhibition, titled “HOMECOMING,” features 36 works by sixteen contemporary artists, with consigned pieces totaling over $40,000. This is an institution declaring itself.

“Home is where the art is,” reads the foundational principle of Purcell House, and in those six words lies the entire philosophy of what has emerged here: not a vanity project for a photographer-turned-curator, but a deliberate, rooted act of cultural infrastructure. At a moment when creative institutions cluster predictably in coastal cities, when the art world operates as a closed system of established hierarchies, Purcell House insists on a different model entirely.

The significance of this moment cannot be understated. For decades, small American cities have hemorrhaged their creative class. Young people with vision, talent, and ambition leave for New York, Los Angeles, Miami. They leave for proximity to power. What Amadeus Purcell has accomplished, by contrast, is to return.

Purcell House sits across from his father’s barbershop, a detail that matters. The name “Purcell” carries generational weight in this community, a shared middle name across four generations of his family. The gallery is not separate from his history; it is an extension of it. This is what institutional thinking looks like when it is rooted not in money but in legacy.

The Artists

The sixteen artists in “HOMECOMING” work across portraiture, identity, spirituality, and place: @sancho.smalls, @mylesperhr, @AyooFree, @zionsperspective, @anu.erraa, @machiasnewera, @theblackonion, @phanypaxk, @803_artistry, @geer_studio, @iamrobertxavier, @dts.unlimited, @kaleidoscokris, @itsbrodae, and @japhs.world.

Each operates from their own singularity. Yet together, what emerges is larger than individual practice. It is a conversation about what it means to create, to witness, to leave a mark. It is a conversation about the value of being seen.

The Opening

The July 3rd and 4th opening weekend drew over 80 people who came not to perform attendance but to sit with the work. They lingered. They asked questions. They moved through the gallery with the kind of attention that suggests something is happening here—something that matters.

The walls, painted in careful studio white and gallery burgundy, held the work with quiet confidence. This was not a crowded opening meant to generate social media content. This was a moment of real gathering, where the work could breathe and people could actually encounter it.

The exhibition runs through September 26, 2026, allowing time for the community to sit with these works, for conversations to deepen, for what Purcell calls the “unhurried” approach to institutional practice to unfold naturally.

What It Means

Purcell House represents a specific kind of ambition: to build something that will outlast any single person. To prove that cultural infrastructure does not require coastal validation. To answer a question the art world has largely stopped asking: what does an institution owe its community?

The answer, here, is clear. We will be here. We will document your face. We will honor your practice. We will create space for you to be seen.

In a historic district that has known disinvestment and transformation, this is not nostalgia. This is a blueprint.

“HOMECOMING” runs through September 26, 2026.
Purcell House, 637 Washington Street, Eden, NC
create@purcellhousenc.com | @purcellhousenc | www.purcellhousenc.com

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Following the remarkable success of last year’s event, Full Circle returns to Army Park (Parko Stratou) in Goudi on June 27, 2026, welcoming two of the most influential names in the global electronic music scene, &ME and Rampa. The longstanding collaboration between Full Circle and Keinemusik continues to evolve, further strengthening Greece’s position on the international electronic music map.

This shared journey began in September 2023 at Anassa City Events, with the first Keinemusik showcase in Athens. More than 4,000 music lovers gathered to experience a night that would become a landmark moment for the city’s contemporary electronic music scene. Through that event, the Athenian audience was introduced firsthand to the unique aesthetic and musical identity of the legendary collective, laying the foundations for a special ongoing partnership.

The next chapter unfolded in the heart of Athens as part of the This is Athens – City Festival. &ME performed at Agion Asomaton Square in Thissio before an audience of more than 12,000 people in an open-air event that brought the philosophy of Full Circle and Keinemusik directly into the city center. This close interaction with the public in one of Athens’ most iconic public spaces created a unique connection among residents, visitors and contemporary music culture.

The culmination of this journey came on June 21, 2025, when Army Park was transformed into a multidimensional cultural destination. With &ME and Adam Port behind the decks, Full Circle attracted thousands of visitors from Greece and abroad, showcasing Athens as a leading destination on the international electronic music circuit. More than 11,000 international visitors traveled to attend the event, which was under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization and highlighted the powerful connection between music, tourism and contemporary culture.

In 2026, Full Circle returns to continue this ever-evolving story. On June 27, &ME and Rampa, two of Keinemusik’s most iconic members, will take over Army Park for a night expected to become another milestone for the city. This year’s edition further establishes Full Circle as an institution that goes beyond the boundaries of a music event, shaping a new cultural experience for Athens.

Before the two German artists take the stage, Charmeine and Vudu, two of the most exciting rising names in international electronic music, will set the tone for the evening.

Originally from Ukraine and now based in Istanbul, Charmeine began her journey in 2020 and quickly gained recognition for her distinctive approach to dance music. Today, she is considered one of the most promising emerging artists in the scene, with performances at major festivals such as Caprices, Sónar and ADE.

Vudu, from Amman, Jordan, returns to Athens for their biggest performance in the city to date. Roo and Fairplay, the creators behind the project, are among the driving forces of the electronic music scene in the Middle East, with notable releases and pioneering events that have played a key role in the development of their country’s music culture.

Full Circle is more than just a party brand. It is a platform that redefines Athens’ relationship with contemporary music culture, creating a vibrant dialogue between the city, its artists and its audience.

Sylvia Ralli (MedAthens) curates Full Circle’s hospitality, wellness and international networking framework, enriching the visitor experience beyond the musical dimension. With extensive experience in building international collaborations, she designs curated experiences, wellness initiatives and premium hospitality programs that connect people and ideas. Her vision is for Greece to function as a living ecosystem of culture, relationships and modern hospitality with a meaningful global impact.

Join the Circle.

Tickets for Concert: https://my.weezevent.com/full-circle-with-&ME-and-Rampa

Tickets for Retreat: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/fullcircleretreat/2211853

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullcircle.ofc/

Info: tickets@fillthecircle.com

The post Full Circle Returns Τo Army Park With &ME And Rampa, Under The Auspices And Support Of The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) appeared first on Licence Magazine.

A landmark moment in contemporary portraiture has been unveiled at the , where the first official joint portrait of and has been revealed to the public.

Created by Nigerian-American artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, the work immediately distinguishes itself from conventional political portraiture. Rather than focusing solely on likeness or status, the piece constructs a dense, layered visual language that blends archival imagery, intimate family photographs, historical references, and cultural symbols into a single cohesive composition.

The result is a portrait that functions as both image and archive. Every layer appears intentional—suggesting not only the public journey of the Obamas but also the private and collective histories that shaped their path. The visual structure invites viewers to read the artwork as a narrative rather than a static representation, where memory, identity, and history coexist in continuous dialogue.

This unveiling also marks a historic first: never before have Barack and Michelle Obama been portrayed together in a formally commissioned official portrait. That decision alone signals a shift in how legacy is visually constructed, moving beyond individual representation toward a shared symbolic presence.

Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s approach reinforces this transformation. Known for her intricate, collage-like visual language, she draws from personal and cultural archives to build works that reflect hybridity, migration, and layered identity. In this portrait, those elements converge around one of the most globally recognized political couples of the 21st century.

Beyond its aesthetic impact, the work resonates as a broader cultural statement. It speaks to how history is recorded, who is represented within it, and how visual art can expand the meaning of leadership and legacy. The Obamas, long positioned at the intersection of politics and cultural influence, are here reframed through a lens that emphasizes continuity, community, and collective memory.

Unveiled at the Obama Presidential Center, the portrait now stands not only as a tribute to two public figures but also as a reflection of generations of stories, movements, and cultural contributions that extend far beyond any single biography.

In doing so, it positions itself as both an artistic milestone and a defining visual document of contemporary history.

— Licence Magazine

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