PHILOCTETES. LAST MINUTE

DIRECTION, SCENIC DESIGN Ondřej Štefaňák
DRAMATURGY Lenka Havlíková, Ondřej Novotný
MUSIC Kryštof Blabla
COSTUMES Matilda Tlolková
MAKE-UP Kateřina Housková
POSTER Terezie Chlíbcová
PHOTO Patrik Borecký
STARRING Antonie Rašilovová, Lucie Roznětínská, Jan Bárta, Vojtěch Hrabák, Hynek Chmelař, Václav Marhold

PREMIERE 22. 3. 2024

“Ashes and dust. Homeland. Spring flowers growing on the home plains. Deception. State and family. Childbirth. Insurance. Crematorium. Heroes…”

The island of Lemnos is an exceptional destination full of adventures. Air conditioning, Sex on the Beach, all-inclusive. Thanks to a miraculous bow, the once-famous hero Philoctetes has managed to survive on the desert island for many years. Completely alone. The wound on his leg hurts, festers and smells. It was because of this wound that his friends and comrades-in-arms, led by the sly Ulysses, left Philoctetes stranded on the island on their way to pillage Troy. It was supposed to be a quick, victorious battle, but instead, one by one, the soldiers perish in the Trojan War that no one wanted to join in the first place. Since only Philoctetes and his miraculous weapon can help them win, the soldiers decide to return to Lemnos after ten years, anchoring at the island full of fire and carcasses. Can the young hero Neoptolemus win Philoctetes over, while maintaining his moral integrity and adhering to the values of his generation, or will he simply accept the power strategies of the old, patriarchal world? The destiny of the whole civilisation lies in the hands of a crippled lunatic.

The new Czech play by the main author and dramaturge of the Theatre X10 Ondřej Novotný offers a unique re-interpretation of the eponymous tragedy by Sophocles. The author depicts a world full of crises culminating in a long-term, tiring war conflict. The characters want to finally end this conflict and go back to their normal lives. But what will the end be like? And after all, what is normal? The play presents a particularly burning issue: the clash of pragmatism and idealism, the conflict between the generation of naïve sons and famous fathers. What if the fame of the fathers isn't real? Can the planet be saved by solar panels and coconut sandals? What will happen once we leave Lemnos?

The performance was co-produced by the Theatre World Brno Festival.