After a highly successful tour of theaters and festivals in Europe, the Elli Papakonstantinou presents them “Bacchies” in Piraeus 260 from July 4 to 6. The Greek creator who in recent years has won international recognition, delivers to the public an original reading of the tragedy of Euripides, a contemporary play about the fluidity of the sexes, which connects theater, opera, music and performance.

“Drawing from the well-known myth, I write and direct a play about the end of the patriarchy. At its core, femininity and queer. In Bacchus I read exactly this opening of the age to the possibility of another understanding of the world» says Elli Papakonstantinou. With an excellent cast and rave reviews from international media to accompany her, her performance is expected to be one of the strongest moments of this year’s Athens Festival program.

Dionysus as a queer deity

A meteor is expected to hit the Earth at any moment. Scientists call him “Dionysus”. The ancient god comes in the flesh and guides the heroes to the Chamber of Desire. There is no scarier room. To reach it, they must cross a mysterious energy field overcoming the fear of revelation, fall, contamination, decay, infamy, shame.

“Tthe play begins in a not-so-distant future, post-metoo, in a world of political correctness, class inequality, where people’s gender identities and relationships are completely regulated. Somewhere there Dionysus arrives and reveals the essence of things, leading the persons to a deeper union with becoming. He leads them to the Room of Lust! What is hidden in this room? But our truly free self!Elli Papakonstantinou reveals.

The god Dionysus does not accept denial, postponement, contempt. He will carry out his mission at any cost. “I sketch Dionysus as a queer deity in constant flux who escapes every shape and contour. It crosses borders, genders, between fiction and reality. Neither male nor female, Dionysus returns for revenge. Euripides expresses multiplicity and union with the Whole. In this horizon I meet him to give another version of the myth» says Elli Papakonstantinou who marries the ancient myth with a modern narrative, making the most of the new technological means.

“I work a lot with myths not to make them better. In no case. They are masterpieces of our world heritage. I am retelling a story that was born in a specific historical context, but now that humanity is opening to femininity, as a person of this time I am narrating this transition, this openinghe notes.

Many languages, many arts

Elli Papakonstantinou uses in the performance a queer performative language, pop but with classical operatic outbursts, dance but also mystical. Queer here relates to a way of understanding not only gender identities but also aesthetics, politics, language. “The queer here stems from the very aesthetic language of the performance, where kitsch, pop and more “systemic arts” – such as opera – coexist without creating a problemsays the director.

The presence of the Venezuelan sound alchemist Ariah Lester, as well as the imaginative choreography of the Frenchmen Cristophe Beranger and Jonathan Pranlas Descours, contributed to the creation of this multilingual work – English, French, Spanish and Greek are heard on stage. “The show is pop and lyrical at the same time. I want to create an aesthetic proposal that does not refer to one genre, but celebrates multiplicityhe says.

“To be our true selves”

Elli Papakonstantinou directs a performance beyond barriers, giving rise to transcendence. She also says what she would like the message from the “Bacchis” to be: “I see the possibility of becoming our true selves in this life in the here and now through changes and possible disasters. That’s okay, maybe it’s more important to go where Dionysus is pointing us. To the room of desire, where we don’t know exactly what will happen to us if we dare. The performance records this course, a movement towards the deepest self”.