''Welcome to Thebes'' is a 2010 play by

Moira Buffini Moira Buffini (born 29 May 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor. Early life Buffini was born in Cheshire to Irish parents, and attended St Mary's College at Rhos-on-Sea in Wales as a day girl. She studied English and Drama at Gold ...

. It premiered on 15 June 2010 in a production at the Olivier Theatre of the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

in London directed by

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Biography Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Ma ...

Plot

Set in 'a city named Thebes, somewhere in the 20th century',Moira Buffini, ''Welcome to Thebes'' (Faber and Faber: London, 2010), the play is introduced by militia sergeant named Miletus and two child soldiers under his command, Scud and Megeara. They discover the body of

Polynices In Greek mythology, Polynices (also Polyneices) (; grc, Πολυνείκης, Polyneíkes, lit= manifold strife' or 'much strife) was the son of Oedipus and either Jocasta or Euryganeia and the older brother of Eteocles (according to Sophocles' ...

, a warlord in the recently ended civil war and brother of Antigone and Ismene. Meanwhile, Ismene and the new female president of Thebes, Eurydice, widow of

Creon Creon may refer to: Greek history * Creon, the first annual eponymous archon of Athens, 682–681 BC Greek mythology * Creon (king of Thebes), mythological king of Thebes * Creon (king of Corinth), father of Creusa/Glauce in Euripides' ''Medea' ...

and head of an all-female cabinet (except for the minister of Education, who is a ' token man'), get ready for the arrival of Theseus, first citizen of the powerful democratic state of Athens. He is on his way for talks with Eurydice regarding aid to rebuild Thebes after the civil war. The cabinet's Justice Minister spends the same time gathering testimonies from victims of the civil war, such as Polykleitos, whose son died in the war. The champion athlete, war criminal and warlord Tydeus ran against Eurydice in the election and is now leader of the opposition, but he spends the time before Theseus' arrival plotting to take back power with his lover, Polynices' widow Pargeia. The Justice Minister then arrives to accuse Tydeus of war crimes, and Pargeia of embezzling charity funds. Eurydice is informed of the body's discovery and goes to see it. Theseus arrives by helicopter and is irked by Eurydice's late arrival and the mysterious warnings of the blind hermaphrodite Tiresias. He puts up a friendly front, however, and goes with Eurydice to her public inauguration. There she announces that she will refuse Polynices' body burial and Tydeus suffers or feigns possession by the god

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

. The following night Theseus makes a pass at Eurydice and is rebuffed, and also keeps up to date with his wife

Phaedra Phaedra may refer to: Mythology * Phaedra (mythology), Cretan princess, daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, wife of Theseus Arts and entertainment * ''Phaedra'' (Alexandre Cabanel), an 1880 painting Film * ''Phaedra'' (film), a 1962 film by ...

and his son Hippolytus. In the meantime Antigone makes an attempt to bury her brother but is stopped and captured by Miletus and his soldiers. The following morning sees the start of aid talks between Theseus and Eurydice. Miletus and his soldiers arrive at the senate with Antigone and Theseus's white aide Talthybia comes out to see what is going on, only to be mistaken for a ghost by Scud, who pulls a gun on her. Theseus rushes out with Phaex and his other bodyguards to see what is going on, but only exacerbates the situation, with Megeara pulling a gun on them. In the ensuing stand-off, Scud is accidentally shot dead by Phaex and the aid talks break down. Tydeus and Pargeia see their chance and begin to win over Theseus to their side, whilst Eurydice decides that her refusal to bury Polynices has brought the disaster on herself. She has Scud and Polynices buried in one grave and goes back to Theseus. Theseus seems to have almost gone over to Tydeus' side when Eurydice's justice minister produces Polykleitos, who gives evidence against Tydeus as a war criminal and speaks about how Tydeus killed his son. Tydeus plans to cause an uprising, but is then knifed to death by Megeara, whose fellow villagers had been killed by his troops. Theseus then receives news of Phaedra's suicide and curses his son, who he thinks has brought about the suicide. Antigone in the meantime accepts a proposal of marriage from Eurydice's blinded son Haemon. In a state of shock at news of the suicide, Theseus agrees to invite Eurydice to Athens and resume the talks there. Miletus and Megeara then decide to travel to Athens to try their fortunes there.

Literary references

*The play draws its plot on Polynices' burial from Sophocles' ''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...

'', though it substitutes Creon's widow Eurydice for Creon. *Theseus receives news by mobile phone of his wife

, her incestuous love for his son by a previous marriage Hippolytus and its aftermath, all drawing on Euripides' '' Hippolytus''. *The women of Thebes are mentioned to have held a 'sex strike' to bring an end to the civil war, drawing on Aristophanes' ''

Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponne ...

''.

Cast (premiere production)

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the name ...

–

Nikki Amuka-Bird Nikki Amuka-Bird (born 27 February 1976) is a Nigerian-born British actress of the stage, television, and film. Early life Amuka-Bird was born in Delta State, Nigeria, where her father still lives. She left there as a young child with her mo ...

* Megeara – Madeline Appiah * Pargeia, widow of

–

Rakie Ayola Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayola (born May 1968) is a Welsh actress known for her work in theatre and television. Ayola has appeared in television shows including ''Black Mirror'', ''Noughts + Crosses'', ''Doctor Who'', ''Silent Witness'' and ''EastEnde ...

* Junior Lieutenant Scud – Omar Brown / Rene Gray * Talthybia –

Jacqueline Defferary Jacqueline Defferary is a British actress. She is married to actor Alasdair Craig. Career Film and television Defferary's first screen role was in the 1992 as Daisy in ''The Ruth Rendell Mysteries'' serial "Kissing the Gunner's Daughter". She ha ...

Theseus Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes describe ...

–

David Harewood David Harewood MBE (born 8 December 1965) is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in ''Homeland'' (2011–2012), and as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter and Hank Henshaw / C ...

Ismene In Greek mythology, Ismene (; grc, Ἰσμήνη, ''Ismēnē'') is the daughter and half-sister of Oedipus, daughter and granddaughter of Jocasta, and sister of Antigone, Eteocles, and Polynices. She appears in several plays of Sophocles: at ...

–

Tracy Ifeachor Tracy Ifeachor is a British television and theatre actress best known for playing the role of Aya Al-Rashid in The CW vampire series '' The Originals'' and Abigail Naismith in both parts of the ''Doctor Who'' Christmas special, " The End of T ...

* Prince Tydeus –

Chuk Iwuji Inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit alpha (IKK-α) also known as IKK1 or conserved helix-loop-helix ubiquitous kinase (CHUK) is a protein kinase that in humans is encoded by the ''CHUK'' gene. IKK-α is part of the IκB kinase co ...

* Harmonia –

Alexia Khadime Alexia Khadime (born 9 June 1983) is a British actress and mezzo-soprano, known for her roles in musical theatre and television. Career Theatre Khadime made her first appearance on the stage in 1999, when she appeared in "Cinderella" at the Ha ...

* Phaeax –

Ferdinand Kingsley Ferdinand James M. Kingsley (born 13 February 1988) is a British actor. He is known for portraying the roles of Hamza Bey in the film ''Dracula Untold'' (2014), Mr. Francatelli in the television series ''Victoria'' (2016–2019), Irving Thalberg ...

* Aglaea – Aicha Kossoko * Haemon –

Simon Manyonda Simon Manyonda (born 1986) is a British actor. Early life Manyonda was born in Lambeth, London, the eldest son of a GP of medicine and a gynaecologist and obstetrician. He is of South African and Zimbabwean descent. Manyonda is the elder bro ...

Tiresias In Greek mythology, Tiresias (; grc, Τειρεσίας, Teiresías) was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nym ...

– Bruce Myers * Euphrosyne –

Pamela Nomvete Pamela Nomvete (born 1963) is an Ethiopian-born South African/British actress. Life Pamela Nomvete was born in Ethiopia to South African parents. She spent her childhood in many different countries, and attended boarding school in the United Kin ...

* Polykleitos – Daniel Poyser * Thalia – Joy Richardson * Scud –

Kedar Williams-Stirling Kedar Williams-Stirling (; born 14 December 1994) is an English actor. His film roles include the action dramas ''Shank'' (2010) and ''Montana'' (2014). On television, he has appeared as a series regular on the CBBC teen fantasy ''Wolfblood'' ...

–

Vinette Robinson Vinette Robinson is a British actress, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Her TV appearances include roles in '' Sherlock'', ''Black Mirror'', and as civil rights campaigner Rosa Parks in the ''Doctor Who'' episode "Rosa". Early life Robi ...

* Sergeant Miletus –

Michael Wildman Michael Wildman is a British actor. He appeared in the film '' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix''. He played the role of aggressive, feisty centaur Magorian. Prior to accepting this role, Wildman was in the West End playing Lance Corpo ...

* Ensemble –

Jessie Burton Jessica Kathryn Burton (born 17 August 1982)Inside back cover of 2015 Picador UK paperback edition of ''The Miniaturist'' is an English author and actress. , she has published four novels, ''The Miniaturist'', ''The Muse'', ''The Confession'', ...

, Daniel Fine, Karlina Grace, Irma Inniss,

Cornelius Macarthy Cornelius Macarthy is a British actor and singer. Early life Macarthy was born in Croydon, South London. His mother was an executive secretary, his father an economist and Sierra Leone Creole. At age 5, his mother decided to move back to Freeto ...

Clare Perkins Clare Perkins (born 18 August 1965) is an English actress who is known for her roles as Denise Boulter in ''Family Affairs'' and Ava Hartman in '' EastEnders''. Career Perkins' first role was as Opal in the 1991 TV film 'Hallelujah Anyhow' in ...

, Victor Power, Zara Tempest Walters

Reception

References

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External links

National Theatre site
2010 plays Plays by Moira Buffini Theban mythology Plays based on Antigone (Sophocles play) Modern adaptations of Antigone (Sophocles play) Modern adaptations of works by Euripides Plays based on works by Euripides Works based on Hippolytus (play)