Richard Eyre directs a new play by Moira Buffini.
Faced with an impoverished population, a shattered infrastructure and a volatile army, the first democratic president of Thebes, Eurydice, promises peace to her nation. Without the aid of Theseus, the leader of the vastly wealthy state of Athens, she doesn't stand a chance. But Theseus is arrogant, mercurial and motivated by profit.
Will Eurydice and her government get what they need for their fledgling state – on terms that they can live with? A swaggering opposition circles, impatient for insurrection. The body of the former dictator lies unburied. A boy soldier is carelessly murdered.
Set in the present day, but inspired by ancient myth, Moira Buffini's Welcome to Thebes offers a passionate exploration of an encounter between the world's richest and poorest countries, set in the aftermath of a brutal war.
Olivier Theatre
National Theatre
South Bank, SE1 9PX
info • what's on @ • map
Box office: 020 7452 3000
For the latest local news and events direct to your inbox every Monday, you need our weekly email newsletter SE1 Direct.