Euripides; IPHIGENIA at A..

Tragedy, or what hurts (director's note)

A tragedy of feelings and ambitions makes Iphigenia's heroes
unusually expressive theatrically and, simultaneously, very
contemporary. When we push aside the antiquarian historicity, we shall
see characters which seem to have been taken from today's life.
The final ritual of sacrifice is an act of blind violence, a coerced
sacrifice behind which stands indoctrination, poisonous instigation, a
defeat of those strong in words and postures but weak in spirit. Yet
- strangely enough - it does not hurt. It has become
commonplace and cheap. It is outrageous, but still it does not hurt.
Even a sacrifice of one's life has become commonplace.
In "Iphigenia at A..." what hurts is a family drama; the end of the
world of community.
No - rotten politics, sick ambitions, looting instincts,
betrayal and lie - the fatty bait that classical drama uses to lure, and
Euripides exploits on a unique scale.
Such a theatre, a theatre of intruding compulsions and compulsive
intruders who want to "divide and rule" is shown commonly in the media
and in the post-modernist theatre every day. They are only harbingers
of the end of the world in which home meant home, mercy
meant mercy, and fear meant fear. Symptoms
of confusion should be looked for in the crisis of the community.

The spectacle is performed in Polish, English and Classical Greek.

Włodzimierz Staniewski

First presentations - National STARY Theatre in KRAKÓW, May 17-20, 2007.

The opening performance is planned in USA - La MaMa Theatre, New York, October 2007.

Music - Zygmunt Konieczny

cast:

Mariusz Gołaj

Joanna Holcgreber

Marcin Mrowca

Anna Dąbrowska

Agnieszka Mendel

Karolina Cicha

Esztella Levko

Benedict Hitchins

Maniucha Bikont

Jacek Timingeriu

Maciej Gorczyński
Marie Paskova

and students of Academy for Theatre Practices

Production of "GARDZIENICE" Centre for Theatre Practices, in coproduction with

The National STARY Theatre in Krakow