The Flies by Jean-Paul Sartre 10th year Anniversary Production

The Flies is Jean-Paul Sartre’s take on the story of Electra and her brother Orestes. His thriller re-imagines this famous and still relevant Greek tragedy, exploring the complexities of human values in a period of political turbulence. Orestes comes back to his birth-place of Argos to find his people under the oppression of fear and guilt: they all bear the burden of King Agamemnon’s assassination. The flies are the symbol of the burden of fate and disinformation tormenting the city of Argos. As Orestes is hounded by Jupiter, god of flies, fear, and death, The Flies examines freedom, oppression, and courage.

With a live-rock band, a physical raw organic direction, and the support of a multi-screen video design, Exchange Theatre presents a very contemporary version of the play: The Greek tragedy of Electra and Orestes re-imagined by Jean-Paul Sartre is now transformed into a thrilling rock opera. As a company priding themselves in their international and multi-cultural heritage, Exchange Theatre’s The Flies will be performed alternately in French and English in tribute to Sartre’s roots, and the 1943 play’s origins as a political allegory.