Shadows of Troy 2020

incidental music 

play by Jamie Murphy

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Commissioned by Stupid and Brave Productions and first performed by the company on the 12th February 2020 at the Oxford Playhouse. 

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Duration

70'  

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Scoring

On-stage Greek Chorus 

Off-stage Percussion 

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Synopsis 

Shadows of Troy is a bold new adaptation of two giants of ancient theatre - Sophocles’ Ajax, and Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis. A new translation presents these plays in tandem, creating a truly epic narrative of the most famous war in Western history.

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Under pressure to begin their campaign in Troy, the Greeks wait to set sail. Military tension erupts into familial agony when a seer declares that Agamemnon’s daughter Iphigenia must be sacrificed before the army can depart. A battle of military honour and filial devotion follows, leaving Agamemnon and his wife Clytemnestra ravaged by doubt and guilt.

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In the second act, Sophocles’ Ajax is radically adapted, with Agamemnon taking the place of the title role. As he descends into madness, the ensuing plot explores the extremes of human anguish, anger, and compassion.

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Availability 

This work is not published and is not available for purchase or hire. 

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Performance History 

12th February 2020 - Stupid & Brave Productions at the Oxford Playhouse 

13th February 2020 - Stupid & Brave Productions at the Oxford Playhouse 

14th February 2020 - Stupid & Brave Productions at the Oxford Playhouse 

15th February 2020 - Stupid & Brave Productions at the Oxford Playhouse