Iphigenia and the Furies (on Taurian Land) & Antigoneantigone: 方 - by Ho Ka Kei (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Winner of the 2023 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Drama.

From the author of trace comes two adaptations that transport mythological stories from Ancient Greece to modern-day civilizations. Led by people of colour, these darkly comedic plays depict recognizable plights for justice.

Iphigenia and the Furies (On Taurian Land) highlights the repetition of hate and colonialism that occur in ancient myths through a mischievous lens. Since Iphigenia was rescued from the sacrificial altar, she has served as a high priestess to the goddess Artemis on Tauros, where she in turn is to sacrifice any foreigners who try to enter. When she discovers that an exiled prisoner is her brother, they together plot their escape, but are soon confronted by a force beyond their control.

Antigone: 方is set against the backdrop of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement and Tiananmen Square Massacre protests. When citizens challenge a state's traditional doctrine, the ruling family is divided between their own interests and those of its citizens. After brothers Neikes and Teo kill each other in the protests, their sister Antigone defies her father's orders to retrieve Neikes's body, causing the government--and what's left of their family--to reach a reckoning.

Review Quotes

Praise for Iphigenia and the Furies (on Taurian Land): "The comic timing is flawless; some of the contemporary one-liners could feel glib in less skilled hands, but here they zing. The characters are all emotionally credible, while still bemused by the way the gods have screwed up their lives." --Martha Schabas, The Globe and Mail

Praise for Antigone: "His adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone both relocates this Greek story to reflect Ho's Chinese heritage and directly challenges the narratives that its audience of 12- to 18-year-olds may be hearing in their classrooms right now, while empowering them to do something to change it." --Carly Maga, Toronto Star

About the Author

Ho Ka Kei / Jeff Ho is a Toronto-based theatre artist, originally from Hong Kong. His works include Iphigenia and the Furies (On Taurian Land), Antigone, and trace. He has held residencies with the Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Nightswimming, Cahoots, the Banff Playwrights Lab, and Factory Theatre. Jeff has received a Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Best New Canadian Play and has been nominated four times for the Dora Mavor Moore Award--both as a performer and as a playwright--the Jon Kaplan Legacy Fund Award for Young Canadian Playwright, and has been awarded a Harold Award. He is a graduate of the National Theatre School.