The Legend of Europa

The Project

The Legend of Europa is a new, international collaboration, building on the success of the 2020-22 Cre-Actors project, which explored different approaches to devising intercultural performance.

The partner organisations from that project were:

• Border Crossings (Ireland)
• Teatro dell’Argine (Italy)
• Théâtre du Soleil (France)
• The Fence (Sweden)
• For The Legend of Europa, we are joined by Riksteatern, the National Touring Theatre of Sweden.

We chose to explore the EUROPA myth, because it seems particularly pertinent at the present time, when right across our continent there are intense debates about the nature of national and European identities. Migration and diversity have become the focus for impassioned rhetoric, whether in favour of compassion towards refugees and trafficked workers, or in reaction against perceived threats to culture, order and prosperity. Our project goes back to the foundational myth of our continent, in order to explore its current turmoil.

Europa was a princess from Tyre, in what is now Lebanon, who was abducted and raped by Zeus, king of the gods, in the form of a white bull. Her brothers searched for her across the continent that came to bear her name, but they failed to reach Crete, where she was to become the mother of the Minoan dynasty. This family rose to dominate the Mediterranean, and particularly to demand tribute from the citizens of Athens, who sent young people every year as sacrifices to the Minotaur: the hybrid bull-man who inhabited the labyrinth beneath the palace of Knossos.

This rich and evocative story will form the basis for a series of exploratory workshops, leading us towards a major new theatre piece, which we plan to premier in 2027-28.

Summary

The Legend of Europa is an international theatre project, through which we will create a new play that responds to the foundation myth of our continent. Europa was a princess from Lebanon, who was abducted and raped by Zeus in the form of a bull. The story of a Middle Eastern woman trafficked to a Mediterranean island seems particularly resonant at a time when European identities, migration and diversity have become the focus for intense debate.

Partners in the project are Border Crossings (Ireland - coordinator), Théâtre du Soleil (France), Teatro dell’Argine (Italy), The Fence (international network of playwrights based in Sweden), and Riksteatern (Sweden). After sessions in all the partners countries, also involving local communities alongside with the professional artists, the play will have a preview in 2026 in Sweden.