CreatripTeam

The National Theater of Korea is presenting Antropolis, a five-part cycle by Roland Schimmelpfennig reimagining the rise and fall of ancient Thebes as a mirror for contemporary urban arrogance and violence. Director Yoon Han-sol opened the series with a combined Prologue/Dionysos at Myeongdong Arts Theater. The prologue shows the city’s founding myth—Cadmus sowing dragon’s teeth that become men—and tracks its transformation into a modern metropolis filled with media, industry, and superstition. The production uses a central screen projecting live camera views of actors (like an SNS live broadcast) to create a sense of simultaneity and to unsettle the audience. Part 1, Dionysos, begins with playful dance, music and satire but turns tragic as King Pentheus rejects the new god; the show even parodies a real military-declaration video (a reference to President Yoon Seok-yeol) in a news-ticker style. Yoon says the play resists easy consolation and insists on looking closely at suffering—actors do not smile at curtain call—arguing that our time needs tragedy to confront recurring war and violence. The run continues at Myeongdong Arts Theater through October 26.