Dying on Stage

Lecture performance coproduced by Théâtre National du Luxembourg

VENUE: Théâtre National du Luxembourg, 194, Route de Longwy, L-1940 Luxembourg

Running time: 300 min (2x 150 min + 30-minute intermission)

How to represent death on the stage? In this lecture performance, Christodoulos Panayiotou explores the vexed relationships between death and drama.  

Panayiotou’s work combines lecture, performance, archival research and digressive introspections framed by references to his personal pantheon, which includes figures such as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Dalida, Molière, Amy Winehouse, Adele and Rudolf Nureyev. Using film and musical material, he dissects the concept of tragic irony to examine the enigmatic relationships between spectator, actor and character. Based on the ballet La Bayadère, staged by Rudolf Nureyev shortly before succumbing to AIDS, Dying on Stage forms a kaleidoscopic score by which the artist retrieves his subjectivity from the flow of images that immerses the contemporary viewer to take a firm stand against conventions and pay a vibrant tribute to theatre.