This essay argues that Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splott (2015) and
David Greig’s version of Aeschylus’ The Suppliant Women
(2016), directed in its inaugural tour by Ramin Gray, use opposite
dramaturgical techniques to advocate for a comparable goal:
increased direct democracy and civic responsibility. Owen uses the
form of his didactic monologue play to highlight the destructive
results of austerity politics. Effie, the play’s protagonist, explicitly
accuses the audience of being complicit with the destruction of the
social safety net—policies which lead to the death of her baby. In
contrast to Owen’s single actor, Greig and Gray used Choruses of
women recruited from each city the show toured to enact a civic
collectivity. By having the audience’s mothers, wives, sisters, etc.
perform the powerful Choral role, the play encourages audiences
to identify with refugees and elevates a democratic decision to
support asylum seekers.