In the legendary play Antigone by Sophocles, the inhabitants of a beleaguered city, upon witnessing their leader correct his failures, choose to serenade Dionysus, the god of pleasure. Interestingly, wouldn’t Zeus, given his celebrated status in Greek history, be a more appropriate god to show gratitude to?
This puzzling detail is highlighted in Raphaël Amahl Khouri’s brilliant documentary play – a self-reflection of his journey as a transgender artist from Jordan. The story mirrors Khouri’s own life, revealing his complex relationship with theatre and eventual development into an ethnobotanist, having been raised in a family of horticulturists. His obsession with Greek flora – specifically, the vine that represents Dionysus – lures him back into his erstwhile passion – theatre.
Khouri’s presentation carries the poised rhythm of a seminar speaker, softening the impact of personal traumas to feel almost comically unexpected. But the gradual unveiling of his story captivates the audience. Drawing on Dionysus from the iconography of yore, he highlights how Dionysus’s feminine imagery was subsequently suppressed – representing an early trans culture clashing with the expansion of the Byzantine Empire into Athens.
Utilising the current discourse on inclusive representation in theatre, Khouri expresses his contention with the oppression of this culture: “You stole our joy”. The play ultimately serves to reconstruct Dionysus’s vine, hinting at a rebirth of this lost culture.
This clever and profound exploration, entitled “It Was Paradise, Unfortunately,” of theatre as a medium for transgender expression is on show at the Goethe-Institut Irland, as a segment of the Dublin Fringe Festival, running until Saturday, September 14th.