“Your son will kill you and have children with your wife.”

A tragedy born of desire passes down through generations, revealing the transgressive side of Greek mythology!

★★★★★

Production of the Year, Director of the Year, Actress of the Year, Dramaturg of the Year

-Selected by Theater Heute-

A moving, intelligent and charmingly original work.

-Spiegel online -

At the end of the performance, deafening applause erupted. No one remained seated: the entire audience stood.

-NDR Culture-

The production leads the audience through an astute and political interpretation of the ancient myth. 

-nachtkritik.de-

A landmark work that rocked German theater now cuts to the heart of Korea in 2025.

Germany’s acclaimed playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig joins forces with director Kim Sujung, whose sharp vision exposes the fractures and controversies of our time. Boldly reimagining familiar Greek myths, this work arrives in a brilliant adaptation grounded in Korea’s 2025 social realities, raising the curtain on its Korean premiere. Whether between rulers and the ruled or parents and children, the relentless chain of inheritance spans from myth to modernity. This production sets out to captivate audiences, bringing the thunderous ovations of the Deutsches Schauspielhaus to the Korean stage.

Laios: The Last Heir of the Theban Dynasty and Father of Oedipus

Synonymous with tragedy, the name Oedipus has inspired countless works. Yet his father, Laios, has long remained in the shadows. The play Laios summons this overlooked figure to the stage, daring to question the origins of tragedy itself. Why did Laios defy the oracle? And why was his son, Oedipus, fated to become the emblem of tragedy?

In 2025, Myeongdong Theater invites you on a bold, imaginative journey that traces the roots of an inherited tragedy.

A Triumphant Return After a Decade! Jeon Hye-jin’s Provocative Solo Performance

Celebrated for her commanding presence and versatile acting prowess, actress Jeon Hye-jin makes her long-awaited return to the theater stage after ten years. In the one-person play Laios, a single performer embodies multiple characters and narrators, unleashing the raw, primal energy of myth with unbridled intensity. With meticulously tuned control of voice, movement, and even breath, Jeon navigates the narrative with bold audacity and sharp wit. Effortlessly transcending the boundaries between today’s Korea and ancient Thebes, this electrifying performance promises an immersive experience you won’t want to miss!

ANTHROPOLIS Ⅱ: Laios

The National Theatre Company of Korea presents Roland Schimmelpfennig’s groundbreaking ANTHOPOLIS pentalogy, which premiered in 2023 at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, with sequential productions unfolding across 2025–2026. Set against the backdrop of ancient Greek mythology, the ANTHOPOLIS pentalogy reimagines the tragic figures of Dionysus, Laios, Oedipus, Jocasta, and Antigone through a contemporary lens. Following the prelude, Prologue / Dionysus, the second installment, Laios, brings to the stage the story of Laios, Cadmus’s last heir and the father long overshadowed by his son Oedipus, who returns to a Thebes bereft of its monarch.

SYNOPSIS

In 2025, at Myeongdong Arts Theatre, actress Jeon Hye-jin brings to life the story of Laios, the father of Oedipus.

In a Thebes stained by the madness and bloodshed of Dionysos, Pentheus, Lycus, and Amphion, the throne suddenly stands empty. The citizens of Thebes summon the sole surviving heir of Cadmus, the abandoned Laios, crowning him king and uniting him in marriage with Jocasta. Despite the chilling prophecy that “a son will kill his father,” Laios and Jocasta conceive a child, their hearts gripped by mounting dread...

Why was Oedipus destined to become the protagonist of tragedy?

Written by Roland Schimmelpfennig

Born in Göttingen, Roland Schimmelpfennig is recognized as one of Germany’s foremost contemporary playwrights. He studied theater directing at the Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts in Munich before beginning his career at the Munich Kammerspiele and later working other prestigious theaters like the Schaubühne Berlin, the Burgtheater in Vienna, and the Volksbühne in Berlin. His plays have been performed extensively around the world, and he has received commissions from leading theaters in Vienna, Zurich, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Toronto, and Tokyo. In 2009, his play The Golden Dragon, which he also directed, premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna and won the prestigious Mülheim Playwright Award, bringing him international acclaim. In Korea, his works The Golden Dragon, The Woman Before, and Arabian Night have been introduced to audiences.

Adapted & directed by Kim Sujung

Artistic Director of New Universe Theatre Company

With a piercingly sharp insight that lays bare social contradictions, Kim Sujung fearlessly confronts the uncomfortable truths of our time on stage. Through works such as Hami, The Shape of Our Days, Princesses: Masters of Their Holes, and The Blue Nation, she has consistently posed the question, “How can we live better?” Beyond her creative endeavors, Kim is actively involved in fostering a safe and collaborative environment for collective creation within the Korean theater community.

Major Works

Hami, Real Estate of Superman, I Am Kim Sujung, Star Wars, The Shape of Our Days, Princesses: Masters of Their Holes, Egalia’s Daughters, The Blue Nation, The Obedient, Dance of Oblivion: 4.16, The Brave New World, Human Zoo, Therefore Pornography, Safe Family

Awards

2024 Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 17th Gender Equality Culture Awards: Gender Equality Culture Support Award (New Universe Theatre Company)
2021 Korea Theatre Critics Association: Best 3 Plays of the Year (The Shape of Our Days)
2021 The Korean Theatre Review: Top 7 Performances (The Shape of Our Days)
2021 8th Edaily Culture Awards, Theatre: Best Play (The Shape of Our Days)
2021 42nd Seoul Theatre Festival: Grand Prize and Best Director (The Shape of Our Days)
2020 Korea Theatre Awards: Young Theatre Artist Award
2019 40th Seoul Theatre Festival: Excellence Award and Audience Jury Prize (Princesses: Masters of Their Holes)
2017 Dong-A Theatre Awards: New Concept Theatre Award (The Blue Nation)
2017 The Korean Theatre Review: Top 7 Performances (The Blue Nation)
2017 38th Seoul Theatre Festival: Audience Jury Prize (The Obedient)
2015 36th Seoul Theatre Festival: “Future, Arise!” Best Director (Human Zoo)