Et toi Ismène ?

As part of Voila! Festival, The Cockpit's annual French-language-loving festival, Exchange Theatre and Chemistry Theatre present Et toi, Ismène ?
Show in French – Spectacle en Français

This new adaption explores the relationship between the mythical figure Antigone and her sister Ismene.
It revisits childhood memories with confessions, cries and a family’s interdependence, - all of which seem to define our choices in the end.

"What about you Ismène? I’m the only one in the family who thinks about happiness, my own happiness that I’m trying to preserve from Eteocle’s ambitions, from Polynice’s sovereign laughter and from the extravagant extent of your soul." Do you hate me Ismene?"
"Of course, I hate you, I hate you almost as much as I love you."

Chemistry Theatre, in association with Exchange Theatre offer a new version of the Antigone myth, inspired by Henry Bauchau.

Adapted and directed by Nathalie Adam.
Henry Bauchau’s Antigone is a pacific character who defies any authority and defines herself more by her place in her family, than by her fate.

Her character is influenced by psychologists who addressed the Oedipian complexity, thus replacing in a reflection that which finds echo in our questions, concerns, responsibilities, and the love we received -or not- and how we deal with it.

She defines herself as the daughter of a man she followed in wandering, as the sister of a woman she wants to protect, and as the daughter of a mother who causes a fratricide because of her strong preference to one of the twins: creating a conflict which can be compared to modern day wars.

Antigone wants to live up to her vision and her irrepressible trust in the power of peace. Not only does she confront her destiny, but also the many structures set up by society: the family, the place of women, the gender issue, the artist seeking peace and her unconditional love for her siblings, for the dignity of any lives.

Ismène is the support, the pillar, the light and the lightness of Antigone. She’s the one allowing her to accomplish her destiny, to fulfill her choices by dying whilst Ismene represents life. She’s not in conflict but she’s the other side of Antigone, the hidden side she could never be. Here, Antigone genuinely serves an anti-hero dynamic, which could never happen without Ismene, and this version is about hearing every other characters without whom Antigone would never embody what she does.

One person can change a lot, but in the end, they can never do it on their own.

Voilà festival is a new opportunity for Exchange Theatre to investigate the creation of new works and to offer strong choices of material, and also to support this time a new company in their first venture.