A Trojan Woman

The original anti-war play updated to current day in a one-hour, one-woman retelling

Written by Sara Farrington | Directed by Meghan Finn 

“The show you’ve been waiting to see. Masterfully directed by Meghan Finn … your heart will stop and start again” – Q Online

With one woman playing all the characters, from gods Athena and Poseidon to the prophet Cassandra doomed to never be believed, this retelling of the Euripides classic is sparked by a mother losing a child in a flash of modern-day warfare. The tour-de-force physical performance by Albanian actor Drita Kabashi opens with Irina, a mother from an unnamed war-torn land, who becomes compelled to embody every war-stricken Trojan woman the moment she realizes her child is gone. The Trojan Women was the original anti-war play, performed in Athens in 415 BC as a protest against the Peloponnesian War, and depicts the cost of conflict through the lens of the women of the Iliad and their children. A Trojan Woman premiered in Athens before transferring to the USA, and now has its UK premiere at the Kings Head. Mixing elements of biting satire with a howl of grief and rage, it asks why the play has remained relevant for centuries.

Writer Sara Farrington said, “For me as a playwright, all props go to the ancient Greeks—they invented theatre, modern story structure, the concept of “the actor.” In his The Trojan Women, Euripides did one better and invented the protest play, told entirely from the female perspective, a bold artistic choice in 416 BC. Everything Euripides said then, I wanted to say now: that all war is born of fickle, uncaring gods (rich men), will always end in the murder of civilians (the poor, women, children) and that it doesn’t have to be this way. We can evolve out of our destructive nature. My version is wholly unacademic, written for contemporary audiences of all ages and backgrounds, easy to love and understand and wildly funny at times.”

Sara Farrington is a New York based playwright and screenwriter. Amongst her many plays, Sara’s play CasablancaBox was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards. Critically-acclaimed New York director Meghan Finn is the OBIE Award-winning Artistic Director of The Tank in New York City (director of multiple NYTimes‘ Critics’ Picks including DOOMOCRACY for Creative Time). Performer Drita Kabashi is an Albanian actor based in New York and known for work including the film A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On, Albania’s entry for the Academy Awards.

Founded in 2003, The Tank is an Obie Award-winning, multi-disciplinary non-profit arts presenter and producer, which provides a home to emerging artists working across all disciplines, including theatre, comedy, dance, film, music, puppetry, and storytelling. Led by Artistic Director Meghan Finn, Managing Producer Molly FitzMaurice, and Director of Artistic Development Johnny G. Lloyd, The Tank champions emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. In addition to a 2020 Obie Award for Institutional Recognition celebrating our Extraordinary Support of Emerging Artists, The Tank has been honoured with 6 Drama Desk nominations for our co-produced work, and an official New York City Council proclamation. Recent work includes hit productions of Midnight Coleslaw Tales from Beyond the Closet!!! by Joey Merlo (2024), A Letter To Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First by Xhloe and Natasha (2024), and Invasive Species by Maia Novi (2023). Tank Artistic Director, Meghan Finn is a 2024 Winner of The David Prize for Extraordinary New Yorkers.

General manager CDM Productions is an Olivier Award nominated producing and general management company based in London with a focus on creating work for new audiences. John-Webb Carter, Jamie Chapman Dixon & Stephen McGill have over thirty years of experience within the entertainment industry. Between them they have worked on the worldwide productions of Mamma Mia!, Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys and within the offices of Delfont Mackintosh, Bill Kenwright and HQ Theatres. They have also been involved in the launching of several new theatres and ventures including the Barn Theatre (Cirencester), Wonderville Haymarket (Piccadilly Circus) and the Theatre Investment Portal.

Running Time: 1hr | Suitable for ages 13+

Content Warnings: Mentions of rape, murder, war, death of a child.

Company information

Director: Meghan Finn

Writer: Sara Farrington

Costume by: Suzanne Bocanegra

Sound Designer: Mike Cassedy

Producer: Rachel Ackerman     

Tour and stage manager: Hanna Yurfest

General management: Aixa Amarante Naranjo for CDM Productions

Executive Produced: by Stop The Wind Theatricals

Performed by: Drita Kabashi

Listings information

3 – 9 December

116P Upper St, London N1 1QN, United Kingdom

Tues, Weds and Mon 9pm, Sat 8.30pm, Sun 8pm

Price: £25 – £10

@KingsHeadThtr | @CDMProds | kingsheadtheatre.com