proteus 2481

The Kammerspiele is presenting the sensational premiere of a 2,481-year-old play, “proteus 2481”, the long-lost conclusion of the Oresteia! On a trip through Mexico, a playwright, classical philologist and theatre director from Austria finds fragments of a Spanish-Latin text in the spine of a book. He translates them, lets an AI fill in the gaps and has a hilarious satyr play by Aeschylus in his hands.

In times when the tragic has become omnipresent, nothing is missing like a good old satyr play full of lies, hyperbole and pranks to finally bring an end to all these interminable tragedies. A Mexican theatre collective, a choir of visually impaired actors and musicians, actors from the Kammerspiele ensemble who speak Spanish and ancient Greek, and a freely rotating team of stagehands, costumiers and musicians are all playing at the top of their game to finally give contemporary tragedies back their satyr plays.

Thomas Köck’s commissioned work for the Kammerspiele, “Eure Paläste sind leer” (Your Palaces Are Empty) was invited to the Autor*innentheatertage in Berlin. He is now directing at the Kammerspiele for the first time.

“A satyr play does not sound so tragic. It turns existential hopelessness into a celebration and that immediately captivated me when I first read the play in a small bodega in Veracruz.”

– Thomas Köck, classical philologist and director