DIRECTOR Dávid Paška
AUTHOR Roland Schimmelpfennig
TRANSLATION Peter Lomnický
DRAMATURGY Martin Kubran
PRODUCTION Michal Denci
ASSISTANT DIRECTORS Laura Fedorová, Rachel Rimarčíková, Emma Vičanová
SCENE Julius Leon Seiler
Artistic collaboration Jozef Kurinec
COSTUMES Maria-Lena Poindl
TECHNICAL COOPERATION Eduard Mikuš
STAGE MANAGER Barbora Poliaková
STARRING Zuzana Fialová, Annamária Janeková, Alexandra Lukáčová, Romana Ondrejkovičová and Viktória Šuplatová
PREMIERE 6. 3. 2024
Is there truly a triumphant, heroic return from war? Homer writes of Ulysses’ return, and other texts recount the returns of Trojan heroes. But these returns are not heroic—they are desperate, grim, bloody, and deadly. These figures are not victors. Where are they returning to? Who awaits them? Who welcomes them? Who are they? Who are you?
Homer's Odyssey is the oldest surviving European epic poem. Yet, we still do not know who Homer was, if he even existed, nor if Ulysses was real. The sources are inconsistent and contradictory. What was once considered a fictional tale—the agonizing return of the Ithacan king from the sacked city of Troy—was challenged when Heinrich Schliemann unearthed the actual ruins of Troy.
Roland Schimmelpfennig, Germany's most performed contemporary playwright, has reimagined the story of Ulysses. In his version, the role of the hero is taken over by a history teacher who claims to know the true account. This new rendition, characterized by post-truth architecture, was created by Dávid Paška, a graduate of the prestigious Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, with his German team and Slovak actresses.
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