Durban University of Technology presents
A modern retelling of Aristophanes’s timeless comic battle of the sexes drama, Lysistrata in the Hood
DUT Courtyard: 21 and 22 May at 6pm
LYSISTRATA
There are a lot of things about us women
That sadden me, considering how men
See us as rascals.
CALONICE
As indeed we are!
DUT Drama presents a modern retelling of Lysistrata, this time In the Hood is a timeless comedy / drama written by Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes about war, feminism and the universal power of women, which comes to the Courtyard Theatre at DUT for two public performances on 21 and 22 May at 6pm.
Lysistrata In the Hood interrogates the power and role of women’s voices in tempering the male ego to bring peace and order to a broken society. Based on the Greek myth of a group of fed-up women who are exhausted by war, who find a novel way to encourage their men reach a peace agreement.
Directed by Marcia Mzindle, this reimagined DUT staging places the action in a local township where women have reached their wits’ end in the face of domestic violence, appalling service delivery, drugs, gangs and the fall-out from male rage and ego.
Lysistrata formulates a novel solution – to withhold sex until the men reassess their behaviour and modify their need for violence and control.
Lysistrata is a valuable resource when it comes to understanding how women and their sexuality functioned in society, as well as how these functions developed throughout history.
Women, as represented by Lysistrata’s friend, Calonice, are sly hedonists in need of firm guidance and direction. In contrast, Lysistrata is portrayed to be an extraordinary woman with a large sense of individual and social responsibility. She has convened a meeting of women from various towns around her home all of whom are at war with each other. Soon after she confides in her friend her concerns for the female sex, the women begin arriving. Together they come up with their crafty plan.
Aristophanes’s play has been translated, adapted and performed many times in the past 2400 years. Various editions of Lysistrata were banned for decades, and many adaptations have been staged around the globe for centuries.
This is a companion piece to DUT’s modern re-imaging of Sophocle’s great Greek tragedy: King Oedipus directed by Sikhuthali Oliver Bonga which will be staged in the round in the Actor’s Studio, DUT Courtyard: 12 – 15 May.
Good to know:
Venue: Courtyard Theatre, Durban University of Technology
Dates: 21, 22 May 2026
Time: 18:00
Tickets at the door. Entrance fee: Students and pensioners: R20 and Adults R50
Warning: Contains strong language and scenes of violence and is recommended for mature audiences.
Aristophanes’s Lysistrata
