Alexis. Una tragedia greca

The mythical city of Athens in the explosive present. Antigone, Creon and Polynices are right there, in the very heart of the turmoil. While Polynices is wearing a Sex Pistols T-shirt, the 21st century Antigone is frantically dancing her rebellion to loud music, demanding justice for all the Polynices of this world, especially for Alexandros Grigoropoulos (Alexis), a 15-year-old teenager whose death under police fire during a demonstration set off the riots and unrest that have embroiled Greece since 2008. The tragic poetry of Sophocles has been channelled through Brecht, distilled into a few hard hitting phrases and grafted onto an effervescent portrait of the contemporary European political context. Because the Italian company Motus refuses to condone the sacrifice of additional Polynices, it urges insurrection. Frenetic choreography, graffiti, testimonials and scarlet lighting energize this theatrical happening of pressing urgency. Following Too Late! (antigone) contest #2, Alexis. Una tragedia grecamanifestly possesses the combustive power to ignite rebellion. Its arsenal to spark the blaze consists of indignation, fury and hope.

PRODUCED BY MOTUS
DIRECTED BY ENRICO CASAGRANDE + DANIELA NICOLÒ
DRAMATURGY DANIELA NICOLÒ
VIDEOEDITING ENRICO CASAGRANDE
WITH VLADIMIR ALEKSIC + SILVIA CALDERONI + ALEXANDRA SARANTOPOULU + BENNO STEINEGGER
IN ASSOCIATION WITH GIORGINA PILOZZI + MICHALIS TRAITSIS
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR NICOLAS LEHNEBACH
SOUND DESIGN ANDREA COMANDINI
LIGHTING AND SET DESIGNENRICO CASAGRANDE + DANIELA NICOLÒ

COPRODUCTION EMILIA-ROMAGNA TEATRO FONDAZIONE + ESPACE MALRAUX – SCÈNE NATIONALE DE CHAMBÉRY ET DE LA SAVOIE – CARTA BIANCA PROGRAMME ALCOTRA DE COOPÉRATION FRANCE – ITALIE + THÉÂTRE NATIONAL DE BRETAGNE (RENNES) + FESTIVAL DELLE COLLINE TORINESI
WITH THE SUPPORT OFPROVINCE DE RIMINI + REGIONE EMILIA-ROMAGNA + MIBAC

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH PLACE DES ARTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF INSTITUT CULTUREL ITALIEN DE MONTRÉAL

WRITTEN BY SOPHIE POULIOT
TRANSLATED BY NEIL KROETSCH

PREMIERED AT FESTIVAL VIE SCENA CONTEMPORANEA, MODENA, OCTOBER 15, 2010