Bacchae | 'Who are ya?' | National Theatre at Home

The women of Thebes will not be ignored. Fierce, unstoppable & visceral — Bacchae is Euripides reimagined for now. Stream the National Theatre's landmark production on NT at Home. The women of the Bacchae will not be ignored. Fierce, unstoppable, and electric with purpose — they are a chorus of wild energy ready to shake Thebes to its core and liberate its women. But their god Dionysos has his own reckoning. In a showdown with his cousin King Pentheus, family loyalty, political power, and human desire are pushed to breaking point. Bold, visceral, and unlike anything you have seen before — Euripides' ancient tragedy has never felt so urgent, so physical, or so alive in this adaptation by Nima Taleghani. Now Streaming on National Theatre at Home Bacchae marks the first time a debut play has ever been staged in the Olivier Theatre — a historic milestone that signals exactly the kind of bold new chapter this production represents. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham in her first production as Director of the National Theatre, Bacchae is an electrifying retelling of the Greek tragedy infused with spoken word, rhyme, and anarchic energy. Now available to stream in full on National Theatre at Home, with an exclusive Q&A with Indhu Rubasingham. The Story Dionysos is a refugee longing for acceptance but constantly facing discrimination — his group labelled terrorists by those in power. James McArdle's brilliantly drawn Pentheus is a thin-skinned autocrat who projects a strongman image but turns toxic when he cannot handle his feelings. Meanwhile the Bacchae — survivors, rebels, women who have had enough — maraud in the mountains, ready to bring chaos raining down on a city that tried to silence them. Among them is Sharon Small's wild-eyed Agave, who goes to gruesome extremes as the crisis reaches its shattering conclusion. National TheatreNational Theatre This is a play about power, identity, desire, and what happens when the forces that hold society together finally snap. The Creative Team Written by Nima Taleghani — best known to audiences as Mr Farouk in Heartstopper — Bacchae is his debut play, designed by Robert Jones, choreographed by Kate Prince, with an original score by DJ Walde and sound design by Ben and Max Ringham. The cast includes James McArdle (Angels in America), Clare Perkins (The Wife of Willesden), Ukweli Roach (Wolf), and Sharon Small (Nye), alongside a large and formidable ensemble company. Indhu Rubasingham has said: "Nima's energetic retelling of Euripides' ancient tragedy is an exhilarating debut play that will fill the amphitheatre of the Olivier with spoken word and rhyme. Bacchae will be a riot of words, music and movement. This spirit of reinvention and telling ancient stories with a modern voice has long been a part of the National Theatre." #Bacchae #NationalTheatre #NTatHome #GreekTheatre #IndihuRubasingham #NimahTaleghani Head to the National Theatre at Home website to stream Bacchae in full. Set and Costume by Robert Jones.