WHATEVER PRODUCTIONS FOR ONASSIS STEGI

THE BACCHAE BY EURIPIDES

ONASSIS CULTURAL CENTER 2018

“Bacchae is the sacred hymn needed to be sung again and again to exorcise evil. Because, like Pentheus, we have forgotten Dionysus, the god of joy, of the body, of celebration, of freedom, of everything that invigorates us. But Dionysus will always be there. The Dionysian dynamic, the vitalizing and animating force of the nature of things will claim its space. The choice of whether our society will relate to it or not will lead to cohesion or grief.”

Aris Biniaris/ Interview- editing: Iliana Dimadi, Dramaturge of the Onassis Cultural Centre- Athens

The performance is a both a theatre and music show that combines poetic speech, live music and acting. Punk music “plugs into the mains” the myth of the “Bacchae” and turns the clash between Pentheus the king and Dionysus the god into an angry hymn to the division of the human soul into logic and instinct. A band of actors —accompanied by two musicians— reflect through acting, speech, singing and movement on the relationship between freedom and dogma, isolation and creativity.

Adaptation based on Yorgos Chimonas’ translation Aris Biniaris, Theodora Kapralou

Direction Aris Biniaris

Dramaturgy Theodora Kapralou

Sets and costumes Paris Mexis

Lighting Lefteris Pavlopoulos

Original music written and performed by Victor Kouloumbis (Electric bass), Panos Sardelis (Drums)

Movement Amalia Bennett

Sound design/ Sound engineer Harris Kremmidas

Costume design assistant Dafni Iliopoulou

Assistant to the set designer/Intern Despina Faridou

Costume construction Despina Makarouni

Props made by Alexandros Loggos, Socrates Papadopoulos

Make- up designer Kyriaki Melidou

Surtitles translation Memi Katsoni

Simultaneous surtitling Yannis Papadakis

Producer manager Maria Dourou

Produced by ONASSIS CULTURAL CENTER

Performers Amalia Bennett, Aris Biniaris, Charis Charalambous, Giorgos Gallos, Anna Kalaitzidou, Karyofillia Karambeti, Christos Loulis, Onisiforos Onisiforou, Evi Saoulidou, Konstantinos Sevdalis