SITI Company Returns to BAM with Euripides' THE BACCHAE

Packed with striking scenes, frenzied emotion, and choral songs of great power and beauty, The Bacchae is considered to be one of Euripides' greatest surviving works. Dionysus, the god of wine, ritual madness, fertility, and theater, returns in disguise to his birthplace in Greece. As revenge for a personal slight, Dionysus--played by a woman, SITI Co-Artistic Director Ellen Lauren--plans to spread his cult among the people of Thebes. His adversary, King Pentheus, imprisons Dionysus in order to suppress his influence and the spreading disorder of his followers. This misguided attempt to thwart the will of a god leads to catastrophe for Pentheus and his entire family. With a new translation by Aaron Poochigian, Anne Bogart and her groundbreaking Siti Company present the play as a modern reminder: if we don't respect the inherent wildness of humanity, we may fall prey to the tyranny of excessive order and the frenzy of collective passion. The production is presented at BAM in its New York premiere.

Anne Bogart is one of three co-artistic directors of Siti Company, which she founded with Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki in 1992. She is a professor at Columbia University where she runs the Graduate Directing Program. She and SITI have created about two dozen works, including War of the Worlds (2000 NWF); bobrauschenbergamerica (2003 NWF); Hotel Cassiopeia (2007 NWF); Trojan Women (After Euripides) (2012 NWF); A Rite (2013 NWF); and Steel Hammer (2015 NWF). She is the author of five books--A Director Prepares; The Viewpoints Book; And Then, You Act; Conversations with Anne; and What's the Story.

Siti Company is an ensemble-based theater company whose three ongoing components are the creation of new work, the training of young theater artists, and a commitment to international collaboration. SITI was founded to redefine and revitalize contemporary theater in the US through an emphasis on international cultural exchange and collaboration. Originally envisioned as a summer institute in Saratoga Springs, NY, SITI has expanded to encompass a year-round program based in New York City with a summer season in Saratoga. SITI believes that through the practice of collaboration, a group of artists working together over time can have a significant impact upon both contemporary theater and the world at large. Through performances, educational programs, and collaborations with other artists and thinkers, Siti Company continues to challenge the status quo, train to achieve artistic excellence in every aspect of work, and offer new ways of seeing and of being as both artists and global citizens.

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