Sophocles reinterpreted: play shows colonial wounds!

Sophocles reinterpreted: play shows colonial wounds!

On March 7th and 8th, 2025, the Magnet Theater from Cape Town presented the play “Oedipus at Colonus: #aftersophocles” in the Spiegelhalle of the Theater Konstanz. These performances, which began at 7 p.m., are part of a colorful cultural exchange that highlights the relevance of classical tragedies in today's world. After the first performance, there was a follow-up discussion that discussed the reinterpretation of Sophocles' work from a South African perspective. Members of the newly founded graduate school “Europe after Eurocentrism” at the University of Konstanz took part in the discussion. uni-konstanz.de reports that the performance and the accompanying discussion took place both in English and were provided with a German translation for the audience.

The film was directed by Mark Fleishman, a renowned professor at the Center for Theater Studies at the University of Cape Town. This production is part of the “Reimagining Tragedy from Africa and the Global South (RETAGS)” project, which looks at the tragedy from an African perspective. The performance addresses the effects of colonialism and apartheid on today's generation in South Africa. The central questions of the piece are the right to land, displacement and expropriation. The choir, which is formed by homeless performers from the Magnet Theater Youth Company, reflects personal destinies. It covers topics such as loss through poverty, climate change, violence and social injustice.

Theater as a mirror of society

The performance in Konstanz follows the premiere of “Oedipus at Colonus: #aftersophocles,” which took place at Baxter Flipside from February 3rd to 18th, 2023. This production was also a collaboration with Magnet Theater and part of the ReTAGS research project, funded by the Andrew W. Melon Foundation and the University of Cape Town. The production focuses on the themes of time, old age and death, as dealt with in Sophocles' final work. Andrew Buckland takes on the role of Oedipus, while the cast also includes Jennie Reznek as Creon and Faniswa Yisa as Theseus. The choir's innovative use of physical expression and soundscapes further enriches the production.

Additionally, the machinations of the production's lead actors and creative minds, including Craig Leo (design), Neo Muyanga (musical direction) and Ina Wichterich (choreography), reinforced the relationship between the tragedy and contemporary post-colonial and post-apartheid contexts. These aspects are particularly relevant in relation to the current land issues in South Africa that are being discussed.

Cultural exchange and academic reflection

The graduate school “Europe after Eurocentrism”, which has been funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since autumn 2024, aims to examine Europe’s cultural heritage in an increasingly globalized world. This initiative highlights the need for cultural dialogue between different perspectives and promotes understanding of the scope of the themes addressed in the classic texts.

As the degruyter.com Published studies show that there is a growing interest in theater studies that emphasize postcolonial and intermedia approaches. The “Reimagining Tragedy” project shows how theater can be used as a medium to reflect and understand social problems.