Premiere of "Phaedra — Anthropology of a Desire" at the Drama Theatre

The Drama Theatre will stage the premiere of the diptych "Phaedra — Anthropology of a Desire" on its main stage this Saturday. The production, directed by Bosnian director Dino Mustafic, brings together two dramatic texts: Jean Racine's 17th-century Phaedra and Sarah Kane's 1996 play The Love of Phaedra.

Direction, texts and staging

Mustafic describes the production as a long conversation with the Phaedra myth, from Euripides and Seneca to later authors. He says the theme that unites the two plays is the tragic consequence of unrequited love. In his words: "And the sin was that she loved and wanted that love to be returned."

The director poses a series of questions through the diptych: "Where does that sin appear? Is it only because she seeks to fill her soul with love? How did society view that? How did the system react? What is the relationship between power and woman, or more broadly between love as an ideal — if you like, the inner truth — which we are often forced to hide because of various circumstances?"

On stage, the conflict revolves around Phaedra's love for her stepson. The leading role is played by Jelena Zugic, a principal actress of the Drama Theatre, who considers the tragic end of her character to be an act of rebellion.

After an eight-year absence from the company, actor Dejan Lilic returns to the Drama Theatre in the role of Theseus in the Racine-based piece. He interprets the husband’s tragic outcome as the result of errors: "The tragic end of Phaedra’s husband, he sees it in the mistakes made." Lilic adds that a failure to listen leads to mistakes that can spill over onto society as a whole: "The problem of not listening leads to making mistakes. Personal, individual, which can de facto be transferred to the whole society. To an entire generation, for example."

In The Love of Phaedra, Theseus is performed by Aleksandar Stepanuleski, while the role of Hippolytus is played by Lazar Hristov and guest artist Leonardo Lazov in the two pieces. The ensemble sing and play instruments on original music by the actors, selections chosen by Mustafic, and specially composed music by Vlatko Stefanovski.

Photo: press material from the event