ANTHROPOLIS II

About the show

In Thebes, the death of Pentheus and the subsequent rise to power of Labdacus—another grandson of Cadmus—usher in an era of rampant violence. Eventually, Laius, the son of Labdacus, is recalled from exile and enthroned. Yet he does not arrive alone; he is accompanied by the young Chrysippus of Pisa. Is he the reason for the childlessness of the new royal couple, Laius and Jocasta, or is it the prophecy delivered by the Pythia? Meanwhile, a new creature appears at the city gates: the Sphinx—a hybrid of lion, woman, and bird—whose riddles and singing drive the city into murderous madness. Through a highly poetic, multi-perspective monologue that gives voice to various characters and mythological versions of Oedipus’s father’s story, the production explores what might have compelled Laius and Jocasta to conceive a child despite the religious prohibition against doing so. To what extent do the parents bear responsibility for the fate of their son Oedipus—whom they sought to abandon in the mountains immediately after his birth? How much guilt is passed down from generation to generation, and how much freedom does the individual have to break free from it? Invited to the 2024 Berliner Theatertreffen, the 2024 Heidelberger Stückemarkt, and the 2024 Mülheimer Theatertage.