Sat 23.01.27
23u00
Second Trimester
Krishna Istha & Geetha Shankar
EN
Perzen. Triomf van Empathie
Perzen. Triomf van Empathie
Perzen. Triomf van Empathie
11.03.26 — 13.03.26
Perzen. Triomf van Empathie
11.03.26 — 13.03.26Director Chokri Ben Chikha examines the empathic capacity of six performers. Do they succeed in perceiving a decades-old highly polarised conflict differently through the lens of a Greek tragedy?
Perzen. Triopf van Empathie is a unique theater production directed by Chokri Ben Chikha. In this performance, he explores with six performers how they can show more understanding and empathy in a conflict that has lasted for decades: the conflict between Israel and Palestine. They do this by examining one of the oldest plays in history, The Persians by the Greek playwright Aeschylus.
This play is about a war between the Greeks and the Persians, in which the writer himself fought against the Persians. The central question is: Did Aeschylus have empathy and understanding for his enemy, or did he primarily want to demonstrate how superior the Greeks were? By posing these questions, the performers seek connections between this ancient story and the current genocide in the Middle East.
Persians. Triumph of Empathy thus balances between art and reality, opportunism and empathy. In the multidisciplinary theatre performance, Ben Chikha challenges the young generation to sharpen their personal, political and artistic visions on the two main elements of tragedy: empathy and pride. The ordeal is made all the more acute by a polyphonic chorus of Palestinians and Israelis who were interviewed by Ben Chikha when he was in the region in January 2024.