10 Searching for the meaning of a hero
QUEENS WEEKLY, JAN. 27, 2019
Astoria residents direct new take on Hercules with multi-ethnic cast in Manhattan
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
Queens is home to a robust
Greek population, as
well as a thriving community
of Greek artists who
have been contributing to
the creative fabric here for
a long time.
A multi-ethnic cast
performs in Eclipses
Group Theater New York’s
upcoming world premiere
of “Hercules: In Search of
a Hero,” which explores
the meaning of heroism in
our time.
The play was conceived
and directed by co-founder
Ioanna Katsarou and
translated by Demetri
Bonaros — both longtime
Astoria residents — with
original compositions by
Costas Baltazanis).
The play opens Jan. 26
at the Abrons Arts Center,
as part of the @Abrons
Series program. You can
catch this limited engagement
through Feb. 10.
The center is located at
466 Grand St. (at Pitt St.)
in Manhattan.
Combining excerpts
from Euripides’ plays
“Hercules” and “Alcestis,”
along with original compelling
material, Hercules
is described as heroic by
killing, heroic by dying in
this new theater piece. A
man of violence and death.
Alcestis stands out for an
act of self-sacrifice.
“The play challenges
the conventional, masculine
notion of heroism and
contemplates a feminine
alternative, using poetic
language and images,”
according to Katsarou,
a member of the Lincoln
Center Theater Directors
Lab 2017.
“Hercules is the greatest
and most popular hero
of Greek antiquity but
also the most ambivalent
one. Today, most of us are
familiar only with his heroic
side and not with his
dark side. In ‘Hercules’
and ‘Alcestis,’ Hercules is
not presented as heroically
as we may expect,” Katsarou
added, noting what
is unique about Euripides
“Hercules: In Search of a Hero” features Demetri Bonaros (l.) as Admetos and Luke Couzens as Hercules. Photos by Selim Cayligil
“is how he reconstructs
the traditional myths in
his plays in order to challenge
and question his
own society and reality.”
Katsarou’s own adventure
with this project was
inspired by Euripides’ innovative
style. She said she
discovered “a strong inner
connection between the
two plays, parallel movements
and ideas that are
still topical,” and pointed
out that although 95 percent
of the text comes from
these plays, “Hercules: In
Search of a Hero” is a new
piece, a synthesis of Euripides’
poetry and ideas in a
new context.
How does the new play
reflect our modern times?
“The legacy of ancient
Greece, and Athens in particular,
is found practically
everywhere in the modern
Western world — in democracy,
science, the arts, philosophy,
sports and so on.
Yet the two societies are
also similar in another,
less celebrated area: privileging
man over woman,”
Bonaros explained. “As
Athens became the world’s
first democracy — a truly
singular achievement —
women became collateral
damage, as it were. With
the Athenian political
system depending very
heavily on citizenship, the
city restricted the movements
of its women, lest
they should birth children
whose fathers were not
Athenian citizens.”
“While this explicit distinction
between the genders
is no longer present,
the implicit designation of
women as second-class citizens
stubbornly persists
— in wages, political representation,
access to leadership
positions in the workplace,”
Bonaros added. “In
‘Hercules,’ these concerns
lurk in the background,
with the play taking place
in an unspecified modern
American setting.”
So, what is the feminine
alternative to Hercules’
masculinity, and the
play’s message?
According to Katsarou,
who has performed
in more than 25 productions
and directed more
than 15 plays, “Hercules:
In Search of a Hero,” asks:
What counts as heroism
in our times? Is an act heroic
if it involves violence?
What is the place of women
in the modern, Western
mythology of heroism? Do
we need to create new mythologies
and eventually a
new concept of the world?
Performances will be
Thursdays to Saturdays
at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays
at 2:30 p.m., with an added
show on Sun., Jan. 27
at 6 p.m.
For tickets and more
information, visit www.
AbronsArtsCenter.org or
call (212) 598-0400.
Luisa Alarcón stars as Alcestis.
/www.AbronsArtsCenter.org
/www.AbronsArtsCenter.org
/AbronsArtsCenter.org