A THEATER / FILM / MUSICAL
IPHIGENIA POINT BLANK was conceived in response to the refugee crisis as seen through the lens of the Iphigenia myth. It references Euripides’ plays, Iphigenia in Aulis and Iphigenia in Tauris, as its central metaphor and draws from the traditional form of the ancient Greek women’s lament from the Trojan and Peloponnesian War epics. It follows the plight and stories of refugees caught in the on-going war in the Middle East, the routes they travel to escape violence and the histories/stories they carry with them.
Today, we are witnessing the highest levels of displacement ever on record. An unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forced from their homes. 22.5 million are under the age of 18. Over 4.8 million refugees have fled Syria alone. According to Amnesty International and the UN, 1,015,078 arrived to Europe by sea in 2015; 349,825 in 2016 4699 drowned in 2016 alone trying to cross the Mediterranean. On average 20 people are forced to leave their homes every minute as a result of conflict or persecution.
IPHIGENIA POINT BLANK aims to challenge the justifications for and mechanisms of war, from the Trojan war, to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, to the proxy wars in Syria. Beyond bearing witness we contest the unending cycles of war that always result in devastation.
Text by Lisa Schlesinger
Music by Kinan Azmeh
Film by Irina Patkanian
Directed by Marion Schoevaert
Marion Schoevaert 