At the core of the International Institute for Theatre Research is the commitment of two men, Bob Jones and Danny Fruchter.

In the mid-80’s, Danny Fruchter was producing ’Oedipus’ and confronted a challenge: what to do with the chorus. No one seemed to know exactly what the inner purpose of the ancient Greek chorus was, though scholars agree that it was based in song, movement and rhythm, and that its roots were older than the classic Greek theatre itself. This clue led him to explore the way the ancient mind thought and how it differs from the modern mind.

Bob Jones, recognizing that in the ancient world, solutions to great problems always included transformation and the idea of sacrifice, ponders: What is the mind that found human sacrifice to be a solution, and are there traces of that mind in the modern world? What constitutes human
sacrifice today, and what is the role of human sacrifice in modern theatre?

Their adaptation is a ritual of drumming, singing and dancing to invoke the virgin, maiden and crone aspects of the Goddess. It is a celebration, reaffirming women’s choice to overcome separation, disdain and hatred. And the beginning of the path of healing.