BBC Four is to broadcast the Juliette Binoche-led production of Antigone that opens at London’s Barbican Theatre tonight.
The grisly production, directed by Ivo Van Hove, will be screened by BBC Arts this spring as part of its The Age Of Heroes: Ancient Greece Uncovered season.
A broadcast date for the performance is yet to be announced.
The Greek tragedy finds Academy Award winner Binoche playing the title character, whose brother, after being condemned as a traitor, is left unburied on the battlefield. Acting against the wishes of her governing uncle, Antigone puts family first to bury her brother, setting in motion the beginnings of her own demise.
Speaking about the screening, Toni Racklin, Head of Theatre at the Barbican, said: “We are delighted to be working with the BBC to bring a televised version of our production of Antigone to BBC Four audiences this spring. This has been a unique collaboration, with both organisations working closely together to realise two visions of the production – on stage and on screen. This ground-breaking collaboration means that the production will reach an even wider audience, supporting our mission to inspire more people to discover and love the arts.”
The production marks Binoche’s first return to the Barbican since her 2012 debut in Mademoiselle Julie. Though she has also appeared on Broadway and at the National Theatre, the French actress is best known for her screen work in films including The English Patient and Chocolat.
If Binoche’s presence were not enough to excite any theatre fan, director Van Hove is the man of the moment, having scored huge critical and public success with his Young Vic production of A View From The Bridge that is now playing in the West End starring Mark Strong.