Journey back in time with the new Playhouse ensemble to the primeval family drama – the greatest of them all

Many will be familiar with this early tragedy about Oedipus, who seizes power and begets four children with his mother. But he cannot escape the stigma of incest of which his children are living proof. This leads to implacable exclusion and fatal consequences.

As the daughter Antigone matures to adulthood she sees her brothers banish their father out of shame and finally slay each other as they jostle for power. In her concern for the family and human dignity, she buries one of her humbled brothers before dogs and vultures could rend his lifeless body, a deed for which she is prepared to face her own death.

The unnerving drama about the royal family from Thebes has fascinated audiences for millennia. Now Royal Danish Playhouse director Elisa Kragerup engages with this tale of intransigent arrogance, a story of just how far our faith in humanity can make us go. Kragerup’s seductive bodily aesthetic is a natural match to this mythical drama featured at the Main Stage.

In 2015, Elisa Kragerup received the Crown Prince Couple’s Cultural Award for her ability to portray of humanity and passion in such performances at the Main Stage as Romeo and Juliet.

Performances are in Danish.

The Bikuben Foundation generously supports the Royal Danish Theatre Drama Department, Eventministeriet and Corpus as well as the general development of the Royal Danish Theatre.