Myths and Archetypes in the 21st Century
A Laboratory for Contemporary Performance Practice
with Avra Sidiropoulou
June 22 - 27, 2026

REGISTER

About the workshop
Mythical figures from all cultures have been repeatedly taken on and expanded across various media and forms, varying from stage to film to video clips and comics. This week-long workshop will concentrate on strategies of adaptation and dramatization in the process of creating a theatre piece based on Greek mythology. Using fundamental principles of staging and creative writing exercises, we will explore popular myths and archetypes (including stories from Greek and Nordic mythology and the Icelandic sagas) that have survived centuries of cultural turbulence and made their way unscathed into the contemporary theatre world.

Participants will be briefly introduced to universal elements of mythology, focusing on examples from the ancient Greek and the Nordic traditions. We will subsequently discuss core adaptation strategies, including metaphor and point-of-view. Collaborating in groups, participants will be encouraged to craft their own interpretations of select myths, based on what feels particularly pertinent to the 21st century spectator’s experience. Participants will be provided with prompts and materials to support their original work which will be presented on the last day of the workshop that will be open to the public. Blending work on text, embodiment and stage composition, the workshop will encourage experimentation, offering expert guidance in creative ways to revisit popular narratives of the past through a contemporary lens.

Workshop Structure
The workshop will be practice-based, emphasizing learning through doing. Daily sessions (5 hours each) will include:

• Text and dramaturgy sessions: close reading and interpretive discussion of select myths.
• Directorial exploration: recontextualizing select myths through conceptual framing and spatial dynamics.
• Collaborative devising: small-group work integrating acting and directing perspectives.
• Seminar: discussion of contemporary stagings and theoretical frameworks related to adaptatory processes.

The workshop will culminate with an open presentation, where excerpts of their creative process will be shared with the general public.

The workshop is addressed to actors, directors, playwrights, theatre students and scholars and to anyone with an interest in mythology, performance, dramatic writing and adaptation studies. 

The workshop will be held at the premises of the National Theatre in Reykjavík June 22 -27.

Workshop hours are from 10:00 - 15:00.                                                                                                                                                                           

Early bird ending on May 8th. 95.000. ISK
Regular price 105.000 ISK                                                                    
Registration ends on June 5th.

Check with your union for refunding.

More info: Workshop