Antigone. Der Abschied

Chris has moved into his dead brother Adam’s house. Built by their father after the war, the place is currently being renovated: the old windows have been replaced with large panoramic ones, walls have been torn down and the trees in the garden are due to be felled. Chris wants to finally draw a line under the past and start a new life together with his new partner and her child. His late brother’s daughter Issy also lives in the house. To mark this fresh start, they are about to bury Adam’s ashes. The family is just waiting for Chris’s good friend – who is also overseeing the renovation – to arrive and, most importantly, for Annie, Adam’s eldest daughter. But when Annie finally returns after years of estrangement, she brings something with her that stands squarely in the way of this new beginning: a demand for justice. Long-suppressed wrongs rise to the surface. A fight breaks out between Annie and Chris over the right way to remember, over whether to break with the past or come to terms with it, and over the possibility of finally making peace with what has come before.

British playwright and director Alexander Zeldin is returning to the Schaubühne with the German-language premiere of his play »Antigone. Der Abschied«, continuing his exploration of social and familial relationship dynamics. Inspired by characters, motifs and conflicts from Sophocles’ tragedy »Antigone«, Zeldin’s play tells the story of individuals striving to assert their place in a world where social and emotional norms have become fragile. As he did in »Beyond Caring« and his productions were presented at FIND (Festival International New Drama), »LOVE«, »Faith, Hope and Charity« and »The Confessions«, Zeldin once again turns his gaze onto elements that often remain invisible in life: vulnerability, dependency and the subtle forms of violence embedded within familial and societal structures.