Europa Bull

Indi Gest

A linguistically surprising production based on the myth of Europa and its current boiling point.


It is peculiar, and also revealing, that the myth of abduction and rape is what gives Europe its name. Today, those on the opposite shore make the same journey across the Mediterranean, abducted by the idea of Europe, and, along the way, suffer rape and extortion. Many die at sea and those who do make it are welcomed by denial of asylum and “refugee camps”. At times like this and, after so many -isms, how can we believe in the European Union without resorting to EU-phemisms?

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Europe is made of stories, of myths. Stories that draw our imaginary. That explain us. That portray us. Europe, in itself, is no longer a myth. The one that tells the story of our Zeus (god almighty) who, burning with love for the Phoenician princess Europa, travelled to the coast of today’s Lebanon (or Syria) and, in the guise of a huge bull, abducted her, crossed the Mediterranean and, once in Crete (or Lampedusa) raped her. And perhaps since then… Europe has been boiling

It is like a pressure cooker that whistles and steams. Europe is bubbling, about to explode… It’s a hullabaloo. And with so much noise, we no longer hear the joy of the anthem; we only note the deafness of its composer.

An authoritarian white bull abducted Europa and now, perhaps, we see we’ll never manage to tame it.


Jordi Oriol, director of the show.