Acclaimed Director Milo Rau Brings 'Antigone' To The Amazon
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published April 21, 2023 | 12:20 PM
Eldorado dos Caraj�s, Brazil, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Apr, 2023 ) :He has been called "the most controversial director in theater," so it's no surprise Milo Rau's latest project is graphic and visceral: an updated version of "Antigone" transposing the Greek tragedy to the Amazon rainforest and reenacting a bloody massacre.
The Swiss director, who heads the NTGent theater in the Belgian city of Ghent, has made his name as a provocateur, whether travelling to Moscow to stage the trial of Russian protest punk band Pussy Riot, using children to play out the story of notorious Belgian pedophile Marc Dutroux, or trying to recruit members of world's deadliest terrorist group as actors.
Now the acclaimed director has landed in the small town of Eldorado dos Carajas, in northern Brazil, to recreate a 1996 massacre in which police opened fire on impoverished farmers who were protesting for land, killing 19 people in cold blood.
A short film of the reenacted massacre will play during "Antigone in the Amazon," a theatrical alarm bell warning of the dangers of humankind's destruction of the rainforest, which will premiere on May 13 at Rau's theater.
The play, which stars an Indigenous activist, Kay Sara, as Antigone -- the tortured heroine who defies a brutal government and pays with her life -- will also play at France's prestigious Avignon festival in July.
Rau, 46, spent nearly a month in Brazil producing the reenactment.
That included tracking down survivors of the 27-year-old massacre to join as actors in the performance, in which police in riot gear descended on the defenseless protesters with harrowing realism, beating them, dragging them through the street and gunning them down.
Directing the survivors as actors in the grisly scene was a delicate exercise, Rau admits.
"In the nucleus, in the center, there is this super dark history. So today we restaged it with the survivors, (who were) at this very spot in the very moment," he told AFP in an interview.
"You go through the trauma again to remember it, but also to go a step further."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
PTI founder acquitted in May 9 vandalism case
Liverpool confirm Slot will replace Klopp as manager
Russian playwright & director on trial for 'justifying' terrorism
Free media, responsible opposition play crucial roles in national development: S ..
AJK leaders condolence Iranian President's demise in helicopter crash
Schauffele birdies final hole to capture PGA for first major win
Police arrest two persons in murder case
ICC seeks arrest warrants for Israeli PM, defence minister and Hamas leaders
Business community condole tragic death of Iranian President
Murad Baloch calls on Governor Balochistan
City faces heatwave, temperature soars to 43.7°C
Bhai Khan Welfare association setup heat stroke centre
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Culture Minister grieves over death of folk artist Faqir Roshan Jhatial
2 days ago -
Tightening noose around wheat hoarders, exploiters
2 days ago -
Exploring IT potential for economic growth
2 days ago -
Spiking divorce rate, a threat to our social fabric
2 days ago -
Women empowerment vital in bringing about positive social change
3 days ago -
Seeding Prosperity: Determined efforts underway to ensure maximum cotton sowing
4 days ago
-
Pakistan gets animated at 77th cannes film festival
5 days ago -
Japanese singer performed Pakistani, Japanese, English songs at NAPA
9 days ago -
Conducive environment for investors to stimulate sustainable growth
9 days ago -
Initiatives urged to facilitate people in getting access to quality healthcare services
9 days ago -
Hunza-The sleeping beauty
9 days ago -
Collective efforts vital to eradicate drugs addiction
11 days ago