The short film Studio Visit with Lilach Dekel-Avneri is available to watch at the top of the page.
During the rehearsal of the site-specific performance Lost Paradise, I had the opportunity to interview director Lilach Dekel-Avneri. Produced by the Pathos-Mathos Company, Lost Paradise is a contemporary reinterpretation of Aeschylus’s “Prometheus Bound.” This production examines the universal themes of ethics, justice, power dynamics, destiny versus choice, and the struggle between oppression and authority.
Lost Paradise serves as a mirror to human behavior, exploring our motivations, evolution, and the consequences of our actions. It uses these themes as a catalyst to develop a contemporary language of performance, providing a fresh perspective to the classical text.
Unlike the original tragedy, Prometheus in Lost Paradise is free from physical chains, a theme that extends to the audience as well. The viewers are not just spectators confined to their seats but active participants journeying through different stations. This innovative approach invites them into a communal exploration of the timeless struggle over knowledge, power, freedom, and responsibility.
Actors and musicians personally engage the audience, infusing their own confessions into the performance and inviting the spectators to take an active role in real time. This approach results in a unique dramaturgical sequence that resonates with contemporary sensibilities while being intimately linked to the locale of the Artists’ Workshops and the energetic Karmel market in Tel Aviv, Israel.
“Prometheus Bound” narrates the suffering of the Titan Prometheus, who defies the gods by gifting fire to humanity, thereby enabling progress and civilization. As punishment for this transgression, the gods, led by Zeus, chain him to a rock where an eagle perpetually feeds on his liver. The themes of defiance against injustice, the cost of noble actions, and the harshness of absolute power continue to echo in Lost Paradise, creating a dialogue between the ancient and the contemporary, the myth and the real.
The featured video Studio Visit with Lilach Dekel-Avneri is part of the web series Yotsrim by Shachaf Dekel. Yotsrim includes five seasons and 73 episodes. The series won the Best Documentary award at the NYC Web Fest in 2019.
