The director Alícia Gorina proposes that viewers take a trip to the predramatic world with Ifigènia, because revisiting this myth “is going to a work that supposes the theatrical origins, the essence of the theatrical event.” For this purpose, with the translation and adaptation by Albert Arribas, director and playwright have immersed themselves in the two works that Euripides wrote about Iphigenia in the 5th century BC.
Born in Salamis, Euripides is one of the three great ancient Greek tragic poets, along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, and about the myth of the daughter of Agamemnon (Pere Arquillué) and Clytemnestra (Emma Vilarasau) he wrote Iphigenia in Aulida and Iphigenia in Tauride.
The new production of Iphigenia is being performed at the Teatre Lliure de Montjuïc until June 2, with a cast that is completed with Marta Ossó, Albert Pérez and Pau Vinyals, and a chorus of five female voices: Cèlia Castellano, Daniela Fumadó, Júlia Genís, Laura Roig and Neus Soler, “who represent all the girls who have been victims of patriarchal structures”, declares the director.
“Agamemnon goes to Troy,” Gorina says of the plot, “but his ships are stopped in a bay because the wind stops blowing for days and days. This fact is interpreted as a punishment that will not be forgiven by the gods until the king sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia. But she is saved from it and she goes to Tauride, abroad, in present-day Crimea, where she has permission to kill all the Greeks who come to those lands.
“I wanted to explore all the aspects of the tragedy and there is also sung music,” continues the director. We have a journey that goes from Greek tragedy to a more contemporary place, and that is why the second part is more dreamlike and we enter a more mental space, marked by chaos and violence.”
Gorina points out three questions: “Why does Iphigenia undertake the sacrifice? It is a decision that Aristotle criticized a lot and, in fact, it is a black hole that the work has. Since she cannot send all the Greeks to hell, she assumes the sacrifice with dignity. And as she is saved from it, Iphigenia grows older and she has to live with and manage everything that has happened to her. Like her brother Orestes, she has inherited violence from her parents, a violence that passes from generation to generation.” For the occasion, the Fabià Puigserver room will present a new configuration, “like a temple, with a large central passage through which Iphigenia will walk the path of sacrifice to the altar.”
As for the music, it was composed by Arnau Vallvé, Manel’s drummer: “More than a year ago Alícia already had the work clear, she had the tragedy inside. This character, the choir, helps us accompany all of this with choral singing.”
Vilarasau describes the essays: “Alícia has very clear concepts, but not easy. The first week and a half she didn’t understand how she had to do it, but once we found a common language it was very nice. The male characters are almost comical because they are so pathetic, especially Agamemnon and Achilles.” And Arquillué adds: “This is the second time I’ve worked with Alícia, she has a way of directing that you can’t get up the next day because you’re knackered.”
