A daring and innovative Festival at the Onassis Cultural Center New York,
on Sophocles’ ancient tragedy | 13-16.10.2016

Tuesday, 11 October 2016. Can the ancient story of Antigone manifest itself through a documentary, which records numerous stories that unfold in refugee camps in Lebanon? Can the legendary courage of Sophocles’ heroine to stand by her beliefs and demand what is right, become the inspiration for a Gospel choir singing about the rights of African Americans today?

Taking as its starting point and focusing on the ancient tragedy Antigone, the Onassis Cultural Center New York opens the new season with the contemporary and powerful festival ‘Antigone Now’ from the 13 to the 16 October 2016. Its aim is to highlight the timeless symbolism and message of ancient Greek culture, still relevant to this day.

Over 90 participants including directors, visual artists, and award-winning American actors compose a powerful program consisting of over 30 events, all free entrance. Participants include Reg E. Cathey (House of Cards, The Wire), Gloria Reuben (ER), Glenn Davis (24, The Unit), Samira Wiley (Orange Is the New Black), Bryan Doerries, Céline Cousteau, Lena Kitsopoulou, Sofia Kokkali, Themis Panou, Maria Papadimitriou, Stefanos Tsivopoulos, and many others.

‘Antigone Now’ consists of commissions, original collaborations, visual and performing arts, and family programs. The Festival will feature events of great interest, including the following: the renowned African-American artist Carrie Mae Weems creates a new work-performance titled Past Tense; drawing their inspiration on various music traditions of Greece, the band Banda Magda will give a powerful concert titled ‘Global Rhythms: Be Drummers!’; Lena Kitsopoulou presents her new play written especially for the festival ‘Antigone Now’.

A special moment of the Festival will be world premiere of highlights from the documentary ‘Antigone in Ferguson’, which will be screened at the Onassis Cultural Center on 15 October. This documentary records the 2016 premiere of the project Antigone in Ferguson at Ferguson, Missouri, the same place where the eighteen-year-old African American Michael Brown was shot dead by police in 2014. His killing led to violent clashes between citizens and the police. A ground-breaking co-production of the Onassis Foundation New York on the issue of social justice, it is a collaboration with the well-known writer and director Bryan Doerries.

In 2015 the Onassis Cultural Center New York began its season with the Festival ‘Narcissus Now: The Myth Reimagined’, drawing its inspiration from the myth of Narcissus. For the 2016/7 season, this important figure of Greek mythology is succeeded by Antigone, a heroic character of Greek tragedy, who finds herself at the heart of contemporary creation. It is the story of a teenager who defies the rule of law, expressing her allegiance to divine law, which she considers above human law. Daughter of Oedipus, Antigone wants to bury her brother Polynices, who was killed in a brutal civil war against his own brother Eteocles. A newly established king and their uncle, Creon orders that Polynices corpse is not to be buried but is left for the vultures to eat, since he had led an army against Thebes, his own homeland. According to Creon’s order, anyone who breaks the law will be sentenced to death. Antigone openly defies him, honouring the body of her brother through death rituals, in adherence to a higher law (i.e. divine law), which, for her, is above the state. Due to his political obsession but also the fact that he has only recently assumed power, Creon is forced to make an example of his niece, condemning her to death. In enforcing his order, he loses everything: his son, who was engaged to Antigone, his wife, the throne, and the order he so forcefully defended. At its crux, Antigone is a work about the conflict between one’s beliefs and the law of the state, posing the question: when all parties involved are right (or feel that they are right), how can we prevent the violence that will inevitably follow?

‘Focusing on the story of Antigone for a more profound understanding of the ways in which ancient Greek civilization has shaped and enriched contemporary values and ethics, the Festival will spark an international dialogue on a plethora of problems we are facing today. Antigone’s love for her brother, her sense of duty, and her courage to resist forceful powers, particularly as a woman, make her a remarkable person. Her heroic story corresponds to many urgent contemporary issues, such as power conflicts, women’s rights, social rules, and immigration, to name a few,’ notes the President of the Onassis Foundation, Dr. Anthony Papadimitriou.

According to Amalia Kosmetatou, Executive and Artistic Director of the Onassis Foundation, USA,  ‘Sophocles’ Antigone talks about the values and dangers faced by our democratic culture. In preparing for this Festival, the passion of the artists and other participants, who have drawn inspiration from this Greek tragedy creating works that call for positive action and unity, is both touching and noteworthy.’  

An equally important part of ‘Antigone Now’ is the innovative digital platform #iSTANDfor and its international call for youth to share stories of inspiration and change. Men and women from all over the world can share individual and collective acts of ‘heroism’ and bravery on social media and on the website www.istandfor.net, in an attempt to change our world for the better.

For the Festival’s full program and a complete list of participants, please visit our website: onassisfestivalny.org.

All Festival events of the Onassis Cultural Center New York will be free and open to the public. Reservations are required for some events. These can be made online through our website: onassisfestivalny.org.


ONASSIS CULTURAL CENTER NEW YORK
Founded in 2000, Onassis Cultural Center New York aims at the promotion of Greek culture, highlighting its timelessness, through a powerful program consisting of exhibitions, cultural events, and a strong online presence. It is found at the heart of Manhattan, at the Olympic Tower. This recently renovated space, dedicated to creation, offers experiences that inspire and support mutual influences between audience, artists, and thinkers in all fields of culture, from visual arts, dance, cinema, literature, music and theatre, to the humanities. Programs and exhibitions – from academic initiatives to events designed for families and beginners – are free for the public, so that they are accessible to all.

ONASSIS FOUNDATION, USA
The Onassis Foundation, USA, is committed to the promotion of Greek civilization. Working with education and cultural institutions in Greece and the USA, it promotes the cultural relations between these two countries. Its mission is realized through two major initiatives. The first one features cultural and educational events for the public at the Onassis Cultural Center New York. The second is academic, namely the University Seminar Program, through which renowned international academics give seminars related to Greek civilization in universities of North and Latin America.   

Onassis Cultural Center New York

Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY 10022
www.onassisusa.org