Peace yesterday, ruins tomorrow? By bringing together two perspectives, this book examines the Trojan War—from its causes to its bloody consequences. Why wasn’t Helen simply sent back to Greece? Who—on both sides—had an interest in an escalation? How can foreseeable catastrophes be avoided when delusion, short-sightedness, and political calculation are at play?
If you've figured out what the gods want in this whole story, then congratulations.
The story is well known: The Trojan War—the mythical-historical primal trauma of our culture—follows the abduction of the Greek queen Helen by the Trojan prince Paris. But what forces, motives, or even ideologies are at play here? Was this war perhaps intentional, and was Helen merely a pretext? And what remains of all those ideals after the complete devastation?
Following “Penthesilea,” Jérôme Junod continues his engagement with Troy, this time focusing on the Trojan characters. He combines two very different plays—Jean Giraudoux’s witty, melancholic comedy “Tiger at the Gates” from 1935, and Euripides’ “The Trojan Women,” first performed in 415 BC. In an interplay of two timeframes—the last day before the war and the first day after—the catastrophe emerges in all its absurdity and cruelty: from the moment a peaceful solution was still possible, to the field of ruins where all hope lies buried. Euripides and Giraudoux portray events now ironically, now darkly, examining the suffering inflicted upon women and children by the schemes of ruthless realpolitik practitioners. Tragedy, comedy, and farce alternate in this highly unusual new creation, in which love and courage wrestle with cynicism and all-too-human weakness.
Premiere:
Tue February 16, 2027 | 7:30 PM*
Performances:
Sun February 21 | 3:30 PM*
Thu February 25 | 7:30 p.m.*
Sat February 27 | 7:30 p.m.*
Wed , March 3 | 7:30 p.m.*
So March 7 | 3:30 p.m.*
Tue March 9 |7:30 p.m.
Sat , March 13 | 7:30 p.m.*
Fri March 19 | 7:30 PM
Sun March 21 | 3:30 PM*
* Pre-performance Introduction: 30 minutes before the start of the event.
Bahngasse 27, 2700 Wiener Neustadt
German
2 hrs 15 mins incl. 1 interval
Regular: €50 (Cat 1) | €42 (Cat 2)
Early Bird (until Dec 31, 2026):
Regular: €45 (Cat 1) | €38 (Cat 2)
U30 Ticket: €12
For further discounts, see here
Cast: Nina C. Gabriel, Annalena Hochgruber, Philip Leonhard Kelz, Saskia Klar, Gabriel Oceano Schlager, Petra Staduan
Direction, adaptation & translation: Jérôme Junod
Set Design: Andreas Lungenschmid
Costume Design: Antoaneta Stereva Di Brolio
Hair and Makeup: Henriette Zwölfer
Music and Sound Design: David Lipp
Lighting Design: Lukas Kaltenbäck, Ludwig Drahosch
Dramaturgy: Marie-Therese Handle-Pfeiffer
Text: Euripides, Jean Giraudoux
A Wortwiege production, supported by the Province of Lower Austria and the City of Wiener Neustadt.
Euripides (480–406 B.C.)
The third great Greek tragedian, alongside Aeschylus and Sophocles, wrote ““The Trojan Women,” written shortly after Athens had cruelly punished the island of Melos in 416. His questioning of institutions and the world of the gods, his profound skepticism at a time when Athens’ Golden Age was drawing to a close, make the author of “‘Medea’ and the “Bacchae” established him as the most modern of the tragic playwrights, whose works are still regularly staged today.
Jean Giraudoux (1882–1944)
Giraudoux, a major voice of the French interwar period, knew the war firsthand, having fought himself at the Marne and in Gallipoli. This was followed by parallel careers as a diplomat and a writer, during which he advocated for reconciliation between France and Germany and was able to observe international politics from the front lines. He thus witnessed Germany’s rise as a threat to the world order and was even briefly appointed Minister of Propaganda at the start of World War II, before defeat forced him into retirement.
Jérôme Junod
Born in Lausanne in 1979, a trained pianist and philosopher, Jérôme Junod works as a director, playwright, translator, dramaturg and lecturer. Since 2025, he has been Artistic Director and Academic Coordinator of Wortwiege. From 2021 to 2025, he was Artistic Director and Head of Dramaturgy at Schauspielhaus Salzburg; before and during that time, he taught for many years, among other places, at the Max Reinhardt Seminar, the Mozarteum Salzburg and the Manufacture – Haute École de Théâtre de Suisse Romande, and has directed productions at numerous theatres in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. On behalf of Wortwiege, since September 2026 Junod has also been programme director of the new degree programme “Stage Narration” at the University for Continuing Education / Danube University Krems.
In conversation. Dramaturg and author Peter Roessler on the Viennese Kasperl, the fascination of horror, and how history takes effect in the present (and beyond).
© Victoria Nazarova
