Niobe – An étude on the myth in text, direction & original music by George Stefanakidis

The ancient myth of Niobe is all about arrogance. Niobe, Tantalus and Dionis daughter is married with Amfion, king of Thebes, and gives birth to fourteen children. But gradually this total blessing turns into a curse and Niobe, blinded by her pride, provokes the Gods. When she finally screams out that she is better than Goddess Leto, the punishment is severe. Leto sends her own children, Apollo and Artemis, to kill the arrogant queens ones.

What is actually Hubris (arrogance/ excessive pride)? What is Tisis (punishment) and Nemesis (salvation)? Where is this God that sees and knows everything? Niobe makes a giant leap in the void by questioning the Gods. And in this very void she finds all her answers. Her tragic lose becomes enlightenment and mighty, cruel Leto becomes, within a moment, the reflection of her own mirror.

The choice of this very old fifteen-syllable poetic form for the text (dekapentasyllabos) was rather instant and subconscious. This ancient rhythmic form that derives from Homeric days and was sharpened during the centuries by Greek traditional poems, is balancing accurately between poetry and spoken word.

And of course music, which in a way is the same “text”, found its unique voice with a string trio and classical percussion.

The play is performed by eight persons, four performers and four musicians.