EGYPTIANS Comes to Gulbenkian Arts Centre Next Month

The creative team behind the acclaimed production of Aeschylus' The Suppliant Women reunite with sequel Egyptians, performing at Gulbenkian Arts Centre for its UK premiere.

Written by Royal Lyceum Artistic Director David Greig (The Suppliant Women, Young Vic & touring; The Events, Traverse & touring; Dunsinane, RSC & Hampstead Theatre), with choreography by Sasha Milavic Davies (The Antipodes, National Theatre; Touching the Void, West End), music by John Browne and direction by Ramin Gray (former Artistic Director of Actors Touring Company), this production is a gripping recreation of the second part of Aeschylus' epic, DANAIDS.

The fifty Daughters of Danaos claimed asylum in Argos to escape forced marriage. Now the city lies defeated. The victorious Sons of Aegyptos demand their prize, the hands of the young women.

But a grieving widow, strange omens and a mysterious priestess cast an ominous shadow over the wedding night.. Who will finally prevail?

Featuring a magnetic community chorus of young men, and set to a haunting original score, this is an epic drama, performed for the first time in two and half thousand years...

The production is a vibrant and dramatic reconstruction of this lost tragedy, brought to life through painstaking archaeological research, academic expertise, and a unique creative process. The show has been developed through a series of workshops, exploring and developing the text, movement and music of the play, approximating the process of Aeschylus in ancient Athens. In the UK, this archaeologically-engaged production has been provided a home by Gulbenkian Arts Centre, whilst research and development has been international in scope, including a development trip to Egypt last year which saw the creative team working with El Warsha Theatre Company in Cairo and the Centre for Stick Arts in Mallawi.

The pioneering music of Egyptians is central to the production and has coincided with an archaeological music project that has led to the reconstruction of the aulos - an ancient double-pipe which accompanied Greek tragedy in antiquity. Much like the play itself, the recreation of this instrument is a unique combination of expert research and creative ingenuity - musician Callum Armstrong is one of only a handful of players in the world.

The powerful score will accompany a chorus of community members from Canterbury and early-career performers, led by professional practitioners. Exploring the pertinent themes of war, migration and consent, this is a timeless and astonishingly resonant production and an unparalleled theatrical event.

The University of Kent is supporting Wild Yak and The Foreign Office throughout their development of the DANAIDS series. They hosted a re-staging of The Suppliant Women in 2021 and have co-commissioned the next two instalments of the trilogy.

Director of Culture and Creative Projects David Sefton says, I am delighted that the University of Kent is a lead partner on this project. It is the ambition that Ramin and team are bringing to the Danaids project, bringing back to life these ancient stories and how they reflect our own society today. It fits our own ambition to bring exciting, relevant work to Kent, and connects brilliantly with work happening across the University. It is the perfect example of a major project that an institution like ours is uniquely placed to deliver - and which in turn uniquely benefits the university.

Eight London South Bank University (LSBU) Acting and Performance students will be making their professional debut in Egyptians, performing as chorus members. LSBU has played a key role in the development process, hosting a number of workshops around music, movement and text with the production team and fellow actors.

Egyptians is produced by Wild Yak and the ICCI at the University of Kent, in association with The Foreign Office, The Royal Lyceum, and London South Bank University.

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