WHEN NIETZSCHE WEPT

The phenomenon-performance with continuous sold-outs
returns for its 2nd year, moving due to high demand to Poreia 

Irvin D. Yalom
WHEN NIETZSCHE WEPT

Two great figures of the 19th century in midlife crisis. An inspired process of “mutual psychotherapy.” On stage unfolds a deeply human relationship between therapist and patient—two men, each with his own needs and vulnerabilities. Nietzsche will weep, but Breuer will also find redemption. The journey into the human psyche carries all the elements of a detective story: a search for clues, unexpected twists, seemingly insurmountable obstacles, even the shadow of death.

Three actors bring the work to life, sometimes as narrators, sometimes stepping into character. The women who haunt them—the fiery Lou Salomé, the fragile Anna O., and the steady Mrs. Breuer—appear through the eyes and voices of the men, yet play the pivotal roles in this story.

Two remarkable letters, discovered only a few years ago, suggest that YalomΆs imagined meeting of Nietzsche, Breuer, and a young Freud may indeed have been possible. We face the rare case where, 140 years after the events and 30 years after the novel was written, reality affirms the authorΆs imagination.

The novel is published in Greece by Agra Editions.

ABOUT THE PLAY AND ADAPTATION

Through a series of secret arrangements, the great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the Austrian physician Josef Breuer—one of the fathers of psychoanalysis—meet in 19th-century Vienna in a daring experiment of double psychotherapy. Into this existential search step a young medical trainee named Sigmund Freud, the tempestuous muse Lou Salomé, and the bewitching patient Anna O., who haunts her doctorΆs soul. In his novel, Irvin D. Yalom invents this meeting of historic figures in the intellectual capital of the 19th century, Vienna, offering an interpretive vision of the birth of psychotherapy and its ties to existential philosophy. The dramatic psychotherapy that unfolds takes oneΆs breath away as it reveals, step by step, the healing power of authentic human connection.

The theatrical adaptation by scholar and YalomΆs Greek translator, Evangelia Andritsanou, focuses primarily on the delicate, shifting relationship between therapist and patient, which teeters on a tightrope in this paradoxical mutual therapy. The vital importance of human contact triumphs in this play, which unfolds among three pioneers of thought: Friedrich Nietzsche, Josef Breuer, and young Sigmund Freud.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IRVIN D. YALOM (1931–) is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. A student and collaborator of Rollo May, he is considered one of the most important living representatives of the existential school in psychiatry and is the author of the authoritative and most comprehensive manual on existential psychotherapy. He is particularly renowned for his clinical and research work in group psychotherapy.
His first book, Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (revised and expanded edition, Agra 2006), has been translated into fourteen languages and is a core textbook in many schools of psychiatry and psychotherapy. Yalom has also written numerous other scientific books and articles.
His literary career began later in life and includes two short story collections (LoveΆs Executioner and Momma and the Meaning of Life) and three novels (When Nietzsche Wept, Lying on the Couch, and The Schopenhauer Cure), all of which became international best-sellers. His literary works are stories of psychotherapy, which he considers an extension of his teaching—already filled with stories and narratives.
In Greece, Agra Editions publishes: When Nietzsche Wept, Lying on the Couch, LoveΆs Executioner, Momma and the Meaning of Life, Religion and Psychiatry, The Gift of Therapy, The Schopenhauer Cure, Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, Staring at the Sun – Overcoming the Terror of Death, IΆll Call the Police (co-authored with Robert Berger), and Every Day Gets a Little Closer – A Twice-Told Therapy.

THE HISTORICAL FIGURES

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
Born in Röcken, Saxony, he grew up with his mother and sister. After completing his studies in philology, he became a professor at the University of Basel, resigning in 1879 due to health reasons. His declining health and interpersonal conflicts, such as with Lou Salomé, deeply affected his mental state. His breakdown in Turin in 1889 revealed to those close to him his severe mental illness. He died in Weimar in 1900, after 11 years of care from his mother and sister.

Josef Breuer (1842–1925)
Born in Vienna, he studied medicine and focused primarily on the nervous systemΆs influence on balance and respiration. Together with Freud, he co-authored Studies on Hysteria. He died in Vienna in 1925.

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)
The founder of psychoanalysis, born in Freiberg, Moravia. Initially focused on brain physiology and pathology, he later developed psychoanalysis, which he practiced in Vienna for many years. In 1902 he became a professor at the University of Vienna. In 1938, due to his Jewish heritage, he fled to England, where he died in London in 1939.

CREATIVE TEAM
Adaptation: Evangelia Andritsanou
Directors: Akillas Karazisis, Nikos Hatzopoulos
Set & Costumes: Eleni Manolopoulou
Music: Kornilios Selamsis
Lighting: Alekos Anastasiou
Assistant Director: Fay Kotsiliti
Assistant Set & Costume Designer: Emily Koukoutsaki
Production: Giorgos Lykiardopoulos – Lykofos AMKE
Production Manager: Katerina Berdeka
Production Organization: Roza Kaloudi
Visual Editing: Dasc Branding
Photography: Panos Giannakopoulos

CAST
Friedrich Nietzsche:  Konstantinos Avarikiotis
Josef Breuer :  Giannis Kotsifas
Sigmund Freud :  Manos Vavadakis