The Myth of Kassandra Otherness and Transcultural Conversations

Abstract

By reference to the theatrical monologue Kassandra, by French-Uruguayan playwright and director Sergio Blanco, this presentation will point out that through the myth of the Trojan war and, primarily, through the person of the prophetess Kassandra, a palimpsest is created carrying the echo of the war, the anguish of uprooting and exile while, simultaneously, speaking frankly about sexual freedom and the wish to experience it with both sexes but also the difficulty of living in a world where difference is considered a curse. Blanco’s Kassandra is depicted as a call-girl knowingly on her way to her death, who addresses the viewers of the world in broken English and, with disarming directness, narrates her ancient and contemporary story, including references to her beloved Abba and Bugs Bunny, whose mask she wears as she reads verses from her Euripidean monologue, thus accentuating the sense of bitter humor and angst.

Kassandra has seen at least 14 different versions on the theater stages of Latin America and Europe and has garnered prizes for acting and direction. Its subversive viewpoint allows it to converse openly with the 21st century’s ancient-myth monologues, as these have been written and staged by various authors internationally renowned.