Sissy PAPATHANASIOU was born in Agrinion, Greece. 
One son, b. 2008.

Studies in Greece :
1987: Degree in Law, Aristotelio University of Thessaloniki
1983 - 1987: Theatre Studies, Theatre School of the National Theatre of Northern Greece

Postgraduate studies in France:
1992-1995 :
- Masters Degree in Social Anthropology - History and Civilisations, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris
- Masters Degree in Theatre - Arts du Spectacle, Institut d'Etudes Theatrales, Paris - Sorbonne III, under the supervision of Pierre-Vidal Naquet and Monique Borie-Banu respectively
- Ph. D. Arts du Spectacle, Institut d'Etudes Theatrales, Paris -Sorbonne III-NANTERRE, under the supervision of Robert Abirached

Attendance of short term seminars:
1984 - 1985: Cultural Animation and Cultural Projects, Centre on Social Research, Pantion University - Greece
1991(fall): Cultural projects, European Cultural Centre of Delphi
1998: Copyrights and Cultural Products, European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht (September & November)

Full time employment
Executive Staff of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Tourism:

1996-2001 : National Cultural Networks of Cities (responsible for the cultural section of the European Cultural-Tourism project)
1998 (fall) : Ministere de la Culture et Communication, Paris, special envoy from Greece
2002-2004 : Cultural Olympiad, project manager: In the Light of Apollo, Six European Sculptors, Navigators: from Sedona to Huelva, The Other Side(Expositions), Ephemeral Constructions in Athens (international architectural competition), Ancient Greek Drama (Symposium and Festival), Hercules in Moscow (performance in Moscow), Agora Balkan Theatre Festival (Balkan Countries), Culture and Globalization (international conference, Cyprus)
2005 - 2007: Greek Ministry of Culture, Department of Greece-EU Relations
2008 - March 2011: General Directorate of Contemporary Culture
April 2011- : Head of the Sector Bilateral International Relations

General Activities
- Artistic Director, Analogio Theatre Festival, non-profit cultural organization I founded in 2005, --- an International Festival of Readers Theatre introducing plays in translation from France, Italy, UK, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Germany and also the work of noted Greek playwrights such as Loula Anagnostaki, Dimitris Kexaidis, Akis Dimou, Andreas Staikos, as well as such distinguished actors and directors as Lefteris Vogiatzis and Roula Pateraki [Alekton Cultural Center 2005 and 2007, Ianos 2006, Athens Festival 2008 and Lesvos 2010. Next scheduled date of that series: Fall 2012]
- Greek National Theatre, responsible for the sector "Anagnosis" Play Readings annual Series Festival, since 2008. Next festival dates: May 9-13, 2012
- Greek Theatre on Tour, Displaying new visions, 28th International Sarajevo Winter Festival 2012, Curator, scheduled dates march 2012
- Artistic Director: Arts Journey-Cultural itineraries in the Aegean Sea Festival, summer 2010 [30 venues in 11 islands, 80 productions - theatre shows, music concerts, recitals, performances, videos, children's educational programs, with the participation of 150 artists].
- Falmouth University, Darlington Campus, England ULTIMATE dART, MA Show 2010, Arts in Education Symposium, July 20-21 2010, invited member for the evaluation committee
- Member of the evaluation committee of the bi-annual Young playwrights' competition, General Secretariat of New Generation, 2008 and 2010
- Member of the evaluation committee of the Monodrama Writing Competition, Rhodos Municipal Theatre and Writers Centre, Rhodos, 2008
- Member of the ITI International Theatre Institute
- Founding Member and Vice-President (from 2003 to 2006) of the Cultural NGO Alterity
- Member of ICOM and ICOMOS
- Founding member of the group 3L -Logi Ludi Loci (Victor Ardittis, Maria Efstathiadi, Sissy Papathanassiou, Chryssa Procopaki, Petros Sevasticoglou)
- Member of the Board of Directors of The Rethymnon International Centre of Fine Arts, 1996-2001

- As a theatre director:
Ou topos, performance based on Medea, Electra and Antigone tragedies, Theatre Deutch de la Meurthe, Paris Nov.1995
The Victory by and with Loula Anagnostaki, Athens, Dec. 2005
TOPOS I. Analogio Festival Eresos, featuring 7 plays written during a Playwrights' Workshop under my direction, Lesvos, August 2011
Carmine Heaven by Akis Dimou
Moonset by Maria Laina
Pferdetanz [the dance of horses] by Manos Labrakis
El Chupacabras of the schoolmistress with golden eyes by Yannis Mavritsakis
In Mytilene 1934 by Yannis Soldatos
Meropi by Andreas Staikos
The Olive Mountain by Elias Venezis, performance

Faraway unknown country by Stamatis Polenakis, National Theatre, Athens,  May 2012

Translations
- Terrorism by Oleg & Vladimir Presnyakov, National Theatre, Athens 2008

Editing and Publications
- Espaces Sceniques, Espaces dramatiques dans la Medee d'Euripide et de ses interpretations contemporaines, E.H.E.S.C., Paris 1995
- Greeks around the world -Iannis Xenakis, APOPSI 2006 (in engl.)
- Rose Vitrak, Open Theatre, Athens 1998
- The work of Akis Dimou and Helena Penga, PA.PO.K Cultural Organization, Athens 1999
- Tazie, The sacred theatre of the Muslim world, AVGI cultural magazine 2002
- Theatre in Greece, today, DIAVAZW cultural magazine, spring 2008
- Contemporary Russian theatre, AVGI cultural magazine 2002
- Analogio 2005, the texts, Analogio Theatre Festival, Athens 2005
- Analogio 2007, the texts, Analogio Theatre Festival & Egokeros Publishing House, Athens 2007
- Anagnoseis 2008, the Greek texts, Egokeros Publishing House, Athens 2008
- Anagnoseis 2011, the texts, Egokeros Publishing House, Athens 2011

Congress Participation
- Unesco General Conference, Paris 1993, 1995, 1999 attendance
- Medea: The music of Iannis Xenakis and the performance of Jorje Lavelli, 1st International Music Theatre Festival, Volos 1996, talk
- Council of Europe, Cultural Itineraries, Luxembourg 1998, representative of the Greek Ministry of Culture
- The National Network of Greek Cities, The Domain of Culture, Veria 1997 and Thessaloniki 1998, speaker
- Ancient Greek Drama Symposium & Festival, European Cultural Centre of Delphi, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2005, participant
- New Artists Festival, European Cultural Centre of Delphi, Delphi 2007, 2008, 2009, panel discussion
- Contemporary Greek Dramaturgy: new tendencies and international perspectives, Alekton Cultural Centre, Athens Jan. 2007, panel discussion, coordinator
- Towards an international theatre policy, Athens French Institute, panel discussion, Athens, Jan. 2008
- Mythical origins of staged deaths, Death as a cultural event, Cultural Centre of Athens Municipality, Athens, May 2008, talk
- Faces of Modern Dramaturgy: a playwright's mission, National Theatre, Athens May 2009, panel discussion, coordinator
- Time and Space in playwriting, National Theatre, Athens March 2009, panel discussion, coordinator
- Greek dramatic play-writing: Past, Present and Future, National Theatre, Athens December 2011, panel discussion

Teaching Experience
- From myths and epic poems to ancient Greek Drama, Notos Cultural Society, Crete, June 1998, seminar
- Modern Greek Dramaturgy: Potential and prospect, "Andreas Ledakis" Cultural and Educational Foundation, Athens Nov. 2005, seminar
- Cultural Management, Theatre of Changes, Athens Oct. 2007, seminar
- Modern Ancient-themed playwriting: tendencies and perspectives, MD Department, Theatre Studies, Athens University, Athens May 2009, seminar
- A Streetcar named Desire by Tennessee Williams and its "mystified" interpretations, Hellenic Theatrologist's Society, Athens June 2010, seminar
- Art as a Vehicle in educational process, Musical School, Agrinion Nov. 2010, seminar
- From rituals and myths to representation, Church of Greece, Educational Program 2012-13