HEKABE

Troy lies in rubble and ashes. After ten years, the war is finally over. But for the women of the defeated, the horror continues: torn from their homeland, mourning the fallen, they must serve the Greeks as spoils of war. Hecuba, once a proud queen, is now a prisoner, at the mercy of her occupiers. When the Greeks demand the death of Hecuba's daughter in honor of their war hero, no plea and no diplomatic skill can help. Polyxena must die. Hardly is the sacrifice completed, when the next horror follows. The body of her only remaining son, Polydorus, believed safe, reappears: murdered out of greed. The limits of endurance have long been exceeded. Hecuba wants revenge at any cost. In a painful metamorphosis, she reclaims her strength.

Angeliki Papoulia and Christos Passalis, co-founders of the Greek theatre collective BLITZ, and also known from the films of the award-winning director Yorgos Lanthimos, bring classical Greek antiquity with ease and a sharp eye for acute societal themes to the stage. They enchant their audience with Gesamtkunstwerke of acting, music, dance, and performance. For their debut at the Schauspielhaus Zürich, they dedicate themselves to Euripides' HEKABE, a subject matter ruthless enough to correspond to the ruthlessness of our European identity and mad enough to counter the madness of our present era.

Supported by Förder Circle of Schauspielhaus Zürich

We are delighted to invite you to a post-performance discussion following what is currently the last performance of HEKABE. Our guest will be Anna-Béatrice Schmaltz (campaign manager for ‘16 Days Against Violence Against Women’ FRIEDA), who will discuss the play with dramaturge Rose Reiter. The discussion will explore questions of female revenge, resistance, the dynamics of spirals of violence and victim myths, among other topics. An exchange about anger, agency and political bodies on stage and in the midst of society. The discussion will be moderated by Yuvviki Dioh, Diversity Agent at the Schauspielhaus.