Dear audience,

Throughout time, people have gathered around stories. Among these, myths are our oldest – and at the same time, our most modern. They continue to express our hopes and fears, helping us understand ourselves and our place in the world. 

When Sir Wayne McGregor weaves together the myths of Oedipus and Antigone in Jocasta’s Line, he reimagines them as physical and musical expressions of humanity in all its complexity. Through them, we see how we still grapple with fate and morality, with identity and rebellion, with seeing and being seen. 

At the heart of it all stands Jocasta – the link between the two myths. It is her lineage and her voice through history that we see and hear. Jocasta’s Line feels like the continuation of a thread – an artistic legacy stretching from antiquity to our own time. 

The combination of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Samy Moussa’s Antigone creates a musical landscape that encompasses the powerful and intense, as well as the delicate and beautiful. In these rich and sensuous oratorios, the Norwegian National Ballet, the Opera Chorus, opera soloists, and the Opera Orchestra come together to give voice, movement, and sound to Jocasta’s tragedy. 

It is a true event that one of today’s most visionary stage artists is premiering a new work here at the Oslo Opera House. With rare openness and boundary-breaking creativity, Sir Wayne McGregor and his entire team breathe life into a living mechanism – featuring nearly 300 contributors, including dancers, singers, musicians, technicians, and designers. 

Jocasta’s Line is made for our house: the production gives space to the precision of dance and the power of music, and it suits our companies perfectly. As the rings of Jocasta’s family tree ripple across the Main Stage, they may strike something within us – something that resonates across time and cultures. 

We are proud to present Jocasta’s Line as part of the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, in co-production with Dutch National Opera & Ballet. This production shows what can happen when art forms meet, when the entire Opera House joins its forces – and when ancient stories are told by the mythmakers of our time. 

Welcome! 

Ingrid Lorentzen 
Artistic Director, Norwegian National Ballet 

Randi Stene 
Artistic Director, Norwegian National Opera