Summer 2025 David Greig "The Bacchae"
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David Greig, The Bacchae
David Greig’s compelling version of The Bacchae reimagines the classic Greek tragedy for modern audiences while remaining faithful to its haunting core. First staged at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh, in 2007 in association with the Lyric Hammersmith, Greig’s adaptation has been celebrated for its lyrical power, psychological depth, and political resonance.
Greig is one of the UK’s most prominent contemporary playwrights. His works have been produced by major theatre companies across Britain and internationally, including in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, and throughout Europe. This summer, the AnglistenTheater brings his electrifying text to life in a dynamic student production that promises to challenge, provoke, and captivate.
At the heart of the play lies a confrontation between reason and ecstasy, control and liberation, order and chaos. Dionysus, the god of wine, theatre, and divine madness, returns to his birthplace of Thebes to claim recognition and reverence. When King Pentheus refuses to acknowledge Dionysus’ divinity and outlaws his worship, the god exacts a chilling and transformative revenge. As the women of Thebes, the Bacchae, abandon their homes to follow Dionysus into the wilderness, boundaries dissolve, and the city descends into a dreamlike and dangerous state of unreason.
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David Greig