de Roovers - Iphigenia

Iphigenia is the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Her father plans to sacrifice her to the goddess Artemis to obtain a favorable wind, so that the Greek fleet can sail to Troy. This way, the Trojan War can finally begin: the mother of all wars. De Portugese writer and theater maker Tiago Rodrigues wrote a radical re-reading of this tragedy. In his version, Iphigenia no longer passively undergoes her fate, but makes the decisions about her life herself. She transforms into a powerful, autonomous woman, in the tradition of Antigone, who gives meaning to her own existence instead of submitting to divine arbitrariness or to men who want to wage war. Rodrigues uses theatrical layers that constantly question the story. He alternates between different versions: history becomes memory and dialogue. What do we still know of the original story? Can it be told differently? Who bears guilt or responsibility? How can we resist? Nine players, including Robby Cleiren, Sara De Bosschere, and Luc Nuyens, explore these questions and tell a story that shows that war is never just about politics, but above all about the human price that is paid for it.