Greek Mythology and Theater: It’s a Match. But Why, Really?
Could it be that many of the themes discussed in ancient times are still relevant today? Take the Oresteia, for example. The central theme of the trilogy by the Greek poet Aeschylus is the development of justice. The story marks a new era of civilization: society shifts—from blood vengeance to a system based on the rule of law. Sounds good, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple, and certainly not something that’s established quickly. You guessed it: this smells like (another) Greek tragedy.

And if you take a look at today’s world, striking parallels can be seen. Our era is shaped by war and peace, good and evil, right and wrong. Dualism is booming! It’s hard to predict which side the pendulum will swing to at any given moment. Yet we often forget that everything is much more complex than it first appears—that the world isn’t simply painted in black and white.

Frank Fannar Pedersen and Javier Rodríguez Cobos explore the complexity of morality, accountability, and the pursuit of balance in their engagement with the Oresteia, and present their choreography on the topic in a full-length piece. In it, opposing forces play a central role, as does the question of why we humans tend to categorize everything as one thing or the other.