Getty's Villa Theater Lab Returns; LIZASTRATA ONLINE! Now Streaming

Getty has announced the return of its in-person Villa Theater Lab with After Iphigenia, a kaleidoscopic composition written and directed by Nancy Keystone, created in collaboration with her ensemble, Critical Mass Performance Group. It takes place at the Villa Auditorium from Friday, November 12 to Sunday, November 14. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased online here.

After Iphigenia is a work-in-progress performance that explores playwright Euripides' two mysterious stories, Iphigenia in Aulis and Iphigenia in Tauris, featuring the central dilemma of a young girl sacrificed by her father, Agamemnon. The project juxtaposes this ancient Greek plot with recent traumatic global events, including the Covid-19 pandemic, racism, and climate change, expressing personal and communal feelings of calamity, loss, and transcendence.

"These Greek plays are containers for enduring human dilemmas, acquiring layer upon layer of meanings, resonances, and associations through the millennia," said Keystone. "Our aim is not only to retell the story, but to use it as an impulse for a meditation on the themes and questions it evokes."

Getty has also unveiled LIZASTRATA ONLINE!, a free, 90-minute Vimeo recording of the in-person production of the Troubadour Theater Company's LIZASTRATA, available to stream until November 28. The Getty Villa's in-person production sold out almost immediately, so this is a perfect opportunity for those who were unable to attend to see what critics and audiences raved about.

LIZASTRATA is a comical musical interpretation of Aristophanes' Lysistrata, an ancient Greek comedy in which LIZASTRATA takes on the establishment, storms the Acropolis, and holds the treasury hostage until the long-warring men of Athens and Sparta commit to declaring peace. Her strategy? All the women go on a sex strike. Directed and adapted by Matt Walker, the production is set to an electrifying mash-up of Liza Minnelli's greatest hits.

Liza Minnelli herself is a fan. "I was delighted to see the hilarious production of LIZASTRATA at the Getty Villa on closing night," said Minnelli. "The Troubies are a group of talented, funny, and exceptional artists. It was truly a special night."

LIZASTRATA contains sexual language, situations, and imagery that are not recommended for persons under the age of 15.

Reservation are available at www.getty.edu/visit or at (310) 440-7300. Parking is $20. The Getty Villa is at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, California.

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