THE LEGEND OF EUROPA
THE LEGEND OF EUROPA is a new, international collaboration, building on the success of the 2020-22 CRE-ACTORS project, which explored different approaches to devising intercultural performance. This next step will see us applying these potent and diverse practices to the creation of a new piece of theatre.
We chose to explore the EUROPA myth, because it seems particularly pertinent at the present time, when right across our continent there are intense debates about the nature of national and European identities. Migration and diversity have become the focus for impassioned rhetoric, whether in favour of compassion towards refugees and trafficked workers, or in reaction against perceived threats to culture, order and prosperity.
Our project goes back to the foundational myth of our continent, in order to explore its current turmoil. Europa was a princess from Tyre, in what is now Lebanon, who was abducted and raped by Zeus, king of the gods, in the form of a white bull. Her brothers searched for her across the continent that came to bear her name, but they failed to reach Crete, where she was to become the mother of the Minoan dynasty. This family rose to dominate the Mediterranean, and particularly to demand tribute from the citizens of Athens, who sent young people every year as sacrifices to the Minotaur: the hybrid bull-man who inhabited the labyrinth beneath the palace of Knossos.
This rich and evocative story will form the basis for a series of exploratory workshops, leading us towards a major new theatre piece, which we plan to premier in 2027-28.
The three devising workshops will be led by:
- Michael Walling from Border Crossings (Ireland - Co-ordinator)
- Micaela Casalboni and Andrea Paolucci from Teatro dell’Argine (Italy)
- Dominique Jambert and Vincent Mangado from the Théâtre du Soleil (France)
As for CRE-ACTORS, The Fence (Sweden) will be our dramaturgical partner. For THE LEGEND OF EUROPA, we are joined by Riksteatern, the National Touring Theatre of Sweden.
Follow the EUROPA project on Facebook and the CRE-ACTORS blog.
Co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon.
