The Suppliant Woman

Fifty women leave everything behind to board a boat in North Africa and flee across the Mediterranean.

They are escaping forced marriage in their homeland, hoping for protection and assistance, seeking asylum in Greece.

Written 2,500 years ago, this is one of the world’s oldest plays. At its heart are fifty young women in full chorus arguing for their lives, speaking to us through the ages with startling resonance for our times.

An extraordinary theatrical event, which opened in Edinburgh to great critical acclaim, this show will be reinterpreted for the unique Royal Exchange space. Part play, part ritual, part theatrical archaeology, it offers an electric connection to the deepest and most mysterious ideas of humanity - who are we, where do we belong and if all goes wrong – who will take us in?