Antigone

"Many things are monstrous. Yet nothing is more monstrous than man."

A city in a state of emergency. Eteocles und Polyneices, the sons of Oedipus, were supposed to share the rule of Thebes after Oedipus' downfall. But when Eteocles tried to keep the power for himself, Polyneices went to war against him – a war between brothers, in which they ended up killing each other. Now the city lies in ruins and the new ruler Creon must bring order to the chaos. In order to enforce the distinction that is the foundation of the political community – the distinction between those who wish to preserve it and those who wish to destroy it – he issues a decree forbidding the burial of the brother who attacked the city. A distinction that doesn't count to Antigone, because to her, her two brothers are equally important. She defies Creon's order and buries Polyneices, accepting she may be killed as a result. Both Creon and Antigone appeal to the rule of law and its legitimisation by a higher authority: the gods. But who or what determines what is right when the law itself, which is supposed to solve conflicts and contradictions, contradicts itself?      

Sophocles' classical tragedy is not only a tragedy of justice, but also the tragedy of a family and of humanity itself. It deals with responsibility and powerlessness, with self-righteousness and the question of why we can't live without each other, but apparently often can't live with each other either. Director Johan Simons is already well-known to the Berlin public from his regular invitations to the Theatertreffen. This is the first time he will work at the Berliner Ensemble and will stage "Antigone" according to Sophoclean staging practices with only three actors.