THE LEGEND OF EUROPA is a new, international collaboration, building on the success of the 2020-22 CRE-ACTORS project, which explored
different approaches to devising intercultural performance. This next step will see us applying these potent and diverse practices to the
creation of a new piece of theatre.
We chose to explore the EUROPA myth, because it seems particularly pertinent at the present time, when right across our
continent there are intense debates about the nature of national and European identities. Migration and diversity have become
the focus for impassioned rhetoric, whether in favour of compassion towards refugees and trafficked workers, or in reaction against
perceived threats to culture, order and prosperity.
Our project goes back to the foundational myth of our continent, in order to explore its current turmoil. Europa was a princess from Tyre,
in what is now Lebanon, who was abducted and raped by Zeus, king of the gods, in the form of a white bull. Her brothers searched for her across
the continent that came to bear her name, but they failed to reach Crete, where she was to become the mother of the Minoan dynasty. This family
rose to dominate the Mediterranean, and particularly to demand tribute from the citizens of Athens, who sent young people every year as sacrifices
to the Minotaur: the hybrid bull-man who inhabited the labyrinth beneath the palace of Knossos.
This rich and evocative story will form the basis for a series of exploratory workshops, leading us towards a major new theatre piece,
which we plan to premier in 2027-28.
The three devising workshops will be led by:
As for CRE-ACTORS, Border Crossings (Ireland) will be our dramaturgical partner and project co-ordinator.
For THE LEGEND OF EUROPA, we are joined by Riksteatern the National Touring Theatre of Sweden.
Follow the EUROPA project on Facebook and
the CRE-ACTORS blog.
