Eriopis (World Premiere)

A child of divorce, an orphan. Following the separation of her parents Medea and Jason, Eriopis and her twin brothers live far up North with their mother, in the snow, among sledge dogs. Until the unthinkable deed occurs and one child is left all alone.

With Eriopis, the Finnish author E.L. Karhu attempts a radical rewriting of the Medea-material, which has undergone countless retellings and interpretations over the centuries. In Karhu’s treatment, Medea, who, according to the various versions of the myth does or does not kill her own children, is a distanced mother, one who only gives very little affection to her daughter Eriopis. The father is absent, the child is left to her own devices. After her mother and siblings have disappeared, her father brings her to live with him in the city. How can a child grow up with such a story? The pieces focuses entirely on Eriopis’ perspective and explores ways of working your way out of your own experiences.

With this commissioned work, Schauspiel Leipzig continues its cooperation with E.L. Karhu. The German-language premiere of her play “Prinzessin Hamlet (Princess Hamlet)” is still part of the Diskothek’s repertoire. E.L. Karhu lives in Helsinki and works as a dramatist and dramaturg. Her interest revolves around issues of the ethics of human actions and the relationship between individual and society. In her writings, the author examines new dramatic forms and the limits of theatrical language.

This world premiere production will be director Anna-Sophie Mahler’s first work at Schauspiel Leipzig. She directs both drama and opera and has worked at theatres including Staatstheater Stuttgart, Theater Basel and Bayerische Staatsoper. Her own independent company CapriConnections interweaves documentary texts with music and images. Her production “Mittelreich” at Münchner Kammerspiele was invited to the 2016 Berlin Theatertreffen. In 2017, two of her works were presented at the Venice Biennale Teatro.