The war for the city of Thebes has ended: both the defender, Eteocles, and the attacker, his brother Polyneices, have been killed. Their uncle Creon has taken over the government and decreed that only Eteocles may be buried. Antigone and Ismene, the sisters of the deceased, choose opposite paths: Antigone defies this order, placing higher principles above man-made laws. Ismene warns her against opposing the ruling power, reminding her of their cursed family history, which seems to have come to an end.

The myth of Antigone has been told in many variations and has retained its relevance for millennia. Resident director Ebru Tartıcı Borchers stages a double evening, focusing on the differing perspectives of the sisters Antigone and Ismene. Following Roland Schimmelpfennig’s retelling of Sophocles’ Antigone is Lot Vekemans’ monologue Sister of, in which Ismene raises her voice as the last surviving member of her family.