What happens when Greek mythology meets gym culture?
Olympus Has But Snow is a darkly comic, highly physical and intense performance that transforms the gym into a place of ritual, competition, worship and transformation.
Alex takes it upon himself to forge Gany into Heracles' image. When only one of them gets invited to Olympus, the two "brothers" are thrown into a rivalry that can only seemingly lead to the destruction of the other.
Drawing on the myths of Heracles, Apollo & Hyacinthus, Achilles & Patroclus, and Ganymede, the two men compete, sometimes literally, with their ideals of what it means to be a man: from expectation to expression, strength to vulnerability, and domination to connection. At times absurd, intimate and confrontational, the show asks what we might have to sacrifice in the pursuit of masculine ideals, and how we might reimagine the stories and spaces we inherit.
Blending physical theatre, contemporary performance practices, Greek mythology, and the familiar rituals of the gym, Olympus Has But Snow explores brotherhood, vulnerability and the endless pursuit of becoming “man enough”.
Duration: approx. 95 minutes
Warnings: Strong language, flashing lights, actors in semi-state of undress, reference to suicide, violence
Conceived and written by: Raphaël Adams & Jeremie Cyr-Cooke
Movement by: Alexander Feeney & Jeremie Cyr-Cooke
Performed by: Alexander Feeney & Jeremie Cyr-Cooke
Supported by: This development and performance of this show has been made possible with the support from Arts & Humanities Faculty (Manchester Metropolitan University), Manchester School of Theatre, Performance Research Group (MMU), Arts Council of Ireland, O'Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance (Ireland) Neimënster Centre Culturel (Luxembourg)
Image by: © neimënster | Rui Henriques