September 16 and 17, ZKM at 8:00 p.m.
Wiener Festwochen, Young Vic and Chichester Festival Theatre, Austria/
Great Britain
directed by: Luc Bondy

based on "The Women of Trachis" by Sophocles

Intrigued by the rarely performed Sophocles tragedy The Women of Trachis - a play dealing with the classical Greek hero Heracles and his wife Deianeira -, Luc Bondy suggested to Martin Crimp to develop a new piece that would transpose the antique plot into an uncanny present.

In a secret place, (Deianeira =) Amelia is waiting for the return of the hero general (= Heracles). Isolated amongst her zealous and devoted servants, she gets the news from the outside world only through visitors representing top-flight politicians and the media. Conjectures are whispered regarding the general: did he commit war crimes during his anti-terrorist mission in Africa? To invalidate these rumours, he sends two children from the trouble spot to Amelia: young Laela and her brother - obviously the young terrorists. His wife should provide a new home for them. Or is Laela his new lover, she for whom he has set an entire city on fire? Amelia sends him a very particular "shirt of Nessos": meant as a love charm, it is revealed to contain lethal poison.

One of the leading roles in Luc Bondy's world premiere will be performed by the respected movie actress Kerry Fox - much acclaimed for her work in Patrice Chéreau's award-winning film Intimacy.

Duration: 120 mins, no interval