Ochlos

At the boundary between human and animal - goat legs, human torso - two hybrid beings from ancient mythology appear to summon the Demos and reopen the people's assembly. They arrive at the last moment, when old rituals no longer work and many doubt their meaning.

Together with the audience, they revive archaic ceremonies without shying away from the biggest clichés. A world of temples, olive trees, animal sacrifices, and awkwardly performed dances comes alive again - but what begins as a ritual reenactment of one day of Athenian assembly gradually transforms into something far more contemporary. One careless speech. One collective decision. One exile. And suddenly the polis must confront those it has cast out beyond its walls.

Ochlos is a participatory performance connecting ancient mythology with contemporary politics. Through ritual reenactment of the Athenian ekklesia, it explores how collective "we" emerges and how every community simultaneously creates its own outside - those who remain beyond its boundaries. What happens when democracy begins to protect itself through exclusion?

The performance is in English with Czech subtitles.