Swiss director Milo Rau writes and directs this production, exploring Euripides' tragedy to engage in dialogue with a real event about the way we deal with violence. The play will be performed on 25 and 26 October, at the Conde Duque Cultural Centre, and contains scenes that some viewers may find distressing.
In infancy, language opens up as a distinct territory. The very etymology of the word 'infancy' refers to the difficulty of expressing oneself clearly, to a world named in a unique way and laced through with imagination. This is the starting point and inspiration for the play, which explores the murder of five children in Belgium in 2007 at the hands of their mother, Geneviève Lhermitte, who, 16 years later, in 2023, chose euthanasia on the same date as the murders she committed.
With his trademark approach, Rau turns the theatre into a space where beauty and horror collide. Through powerful images, movements that overflow the stage, and the participation of child actors, the performance confronts the audience with uncomfortable questions: Are we willing to acknowledge the violence that constitutes us? Can we look at anger straight in the eye, without looking away?
This production is not just about telling a story; it seeks to disturb and open up a new language through infancy, capable of naming that which eludes adult discourse. It proposes a theatrical experience in which the intimate and private become political, and cruelty is revealed as an inseparable part of our condition. This is an uncompromising evening that places childhood and infancy at the heart of an urgent debate: how we understand and represent violence in the contemporary world.
Born in Bern (Switzerland) in 1977, Milo Rau is a controversial Swiss theatre director, journalist, essayist and teacher who won the Swiss Theatre Award in 2014. In 2007, he founded the International Institute of Political Murder (IIPM), an organisation focused on documenting notable historical events through films, plays, documentaries and research projects. His productions include Antigone in the Amazon, Familie and Empire.
Artistic credits:
- Directed and written by - Milo Rau
- Dramatised by - Kaatje De Geest
- Set design - Karolien De Schepper; Christophe Engels
- Lighting - Dennis Diels
- Sound - Elia Rediger
- Audiovisuals - Moritz von Dungern
- Costume - Jo De Visscher
- Production - NTGent
- Image credits - © Michiel Devijver
- Collaboration - Wiener Festwochen, La Biennale di Venezia, ITA - Internationaal Theater Amsterdam and Tandem - Scène nationale (Arras Douai)
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Recommended age: 16+
