Metamorphosis, Collide Theatre, Tristan Bates Theatre

Under the umbrella name of A Piece of the Continent, this festival of European theatre celebrates the cultural links between the UK and its neighbours in continental Europe, with a plethora of works from across the continent.

Many are multicultural productions; and that's the case with Metamorphosis, a piece of dance-theatre inspired by the German writer Franz Kafka’s early 20th century novella of the same name, devised by the London-based company Collide Theatre, which is the brainchild of the Greek director Emily Louizou.

Kafka’s Metamorphosis is the story of Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman who works hard to support his exploitative family. Samsa wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect; a harrowing condition which leads the family to ostracise him.

A powerful and internationally famous work, Kafka’s Metamorphosis has over the years been the subject of all kinds of adaptations. One of the most remarkable was choreographer Arthur Pita’s 2011 dance-theatre piece, which elicited an unforgettable – haunting even! – performance from the Royal Ballet’s Edward Watson as Gregor Samsa.

Pita’s was a very literal adaptation, with a goo-covered Watson required to act a giant insect; Collide Theatre’s is anything but.

Instead, Emily Louizou’s Metamorphosis takes the Kafka story as the starting point to explore the human fear of being made to feel different.


In this dance theatre piece, a group of five individuals use Collide Theatre’s trademark blend of storytelling, dance and music, to bring to life the story of Gregor Samsa. In so doing, this group of emerging artists aims to celebrate Samsa’s uniqueness, as well as the uniqueness of all those before and after him who had to fight against their family’s alienation.

Choreographed by Ioli Filippakopoulou to music by David Denyer, Collide Theatre’s Metamorphosis will premiere at A Piece of the Continent Festival; and if reviews of the company’s previous work (TROY, Tejas Verdes, 4:48 Psychosis) are anything to go by, it’ll be an accomplished, challenging and thought-provoking work.

NOTE: post-show Q&A with the cast and creative team after the matinee on 27April. This will be free to matinee ticket holders.