Astoria residents direct ‘Hercules: In Search of a Hero’
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
Queens is home to a robust
Greek population, as well
as a thriving community of
Greek artists who have been
contributing to the creative
fabric here for a long time.
A multi-ethnic cast
performs in Eclipses Group
Theater New York’s upcoming
world premiere of “Hercules:
In Search of a Hero,” which
explores the meaning of
heroism in our time.
The play was conceived and
directed by co-founder Ioanna
Katsarou and translated by
Demetri Bonaros — both
longtime Astoria residents
— with original compositions
by Costas Baltazanis).
The play opens Jan. 26 at
the Abrons Arts Center, as
part of the @Abrons Series
program. You can catch this
limited engagement through
Feb. 10. The center is located
at 466 Grand St. (at Pitt St.)
in Manhattan.
Combining excerpts from
Euripides’ plays “Hercules”
and “Alcestis,” along with
original compelling material,
Hercules is described as
heroic by killing, heroic by
dying in this new theater
piece. A man of violence and
death. Alcestis stands out for
an act of self-sacrifice.
“The play challenges the
conventional, masculine
notion of heroism and
contemplates a feminine
alternative, using poetic
language and images,”
according to Katsarou, a
member of the Lincoln Center
Theater Directors Lab 2017.
“Hercules is the greatest
and most popular hero of
Greek antiquity but also the
most ambivalent one. Today,
most of us are familiar only
with his heroic side and
not with his dark side. In
‘Hercules’ and ‘Alcestis,’
Hercules is not presented as
heroically as we may expect,”
Katsarou added, noting what
is unique about Euripides
“is how he reconstructs the
traditional myths in his
plays in order to challenge
and question his own society
and reality.”
Katsarou’s own adventure
with this project was inspired
by Euripides’ innovative
style. She said she discovered
“a strong inner connection
between the two plays,
parallel movements and ideas
that are still topical,” and
pointed out that although
95 percent of the text comes
from these plays, “Hercules:
In Search of a Hero” is a
new piece, a synthesis of
Euripides’ poetry and ideas
in a new context.
How does the new play
reflect our modern times?
“The legacy of ancient
Greece, and Athens
in particular, is found
practically everywhere in
the modern Western world
— in democracy, science,
the arts, philosophy, sports
and so on. Yet the two
societies are also similar
in another, less celebrated
area: privileging man over
woman,” Bonaros explained.
“As Athens became the
world’s first democracy — a
truly singular achievement
— women became collateral
damage, as it were. With the
Athenian political system
depending very heavily
Courtesy of Eclipses Group Theater
on citizenship, the city
restricted the movements of
its women, lest they should
birth children whose fathers
were not Athenian citizens.”
“While this explicit
distinction between the
genders is no longer present,
the implicit designation
of women as second-class
citizens stubbornly persists
— in wages, political
representation, access to
leadership positions in the
workplace,” Bonaros added.
“In ‘Hercules,’ these concerns
lurk in the background,
with the play taking place
in an unspecified modern
American setting.”
So, what is the feminine
alternative to Hercules’
masculinity, and the play’s
message?
According to Katsarou,
who has performed in more
than 25 productions and
directed more than 15 plays,
“Hercules: In Search of a
Hero,” asks: What counts as
heroism in our times? Is an act
heroic if it involves violence?
What is the place of women
in the modern, Western
mythology of heroism?
Do we need to create new
mythologies and eventually a
new concept of the world?
Performances will be
Thursdays to Saturdays at
7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30
p.m., with an added show on
Sun., Jan. 27 at 6 p.m.
For tickets and more
information, visit www.
AbronsArtsCenter.org or call
(212) 598-0400.
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