u/katkat_777

Hi everyone,

We are very happy to announce to the Disco Elysium community that the first three performances of When Disco Died have taken place, a theatrical play based on the world of Disco Elysium, written by Pavlos Karagrigoris and staged by the amateur student theater group of the Physics and Mathematics Departments of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Σαιξπυρηνικοί).

All three performances were performed with a full house and were presented to the audience with great success, alongside a strong presence from the Greek Disco Elysium community. We would like to thank everyone who attended the performances, as well as for the many messages of love and support we received.

We will be performing two more shows on May 26 and May 30 at self-organised Empros Theatre, and ideally the recording of the play will be uploaded sometime during the summer with English subtitles. You can learn more about us through our social media pages under the handle “th.o.fysikou”.

The play is dedicated to the creators of the game and its community, and all performances are open, free of charge, non-profit, and carried out with full respect toward the rights holders of the game.

Hi everyone, we are excited to share some news regarding our latest amateur theatrical production. We are now in the final stages of rehearsal, and the play is ready for a mini-tour in Athens, Greece, starting Friday, May 8th until Saturday, May 30th, with 5 total performances

What is the play?

Over the past few months, we have posted about our intention to create a stage play inspired by Disco Elysium. This is not a direct retelling of the game's plot, but rather an original story based on DE. Created as a love letter to the game, its creators, and the community, this production is a strictly non-profit, non-revenue endeavor. We hold no claims to any material belonging to ZA/UM; this is a tribute produced with full respect to their intellectual property rights.

Who are we?

We are the theater group of the Physics and Mathematics departments at the University of Athens. Every year, we self-organize to produce and perform plays. We receive no outside funding, and admission to all our performances is free. We are an inclusive, horizontal group with no hierarchy; we cover our production costs through parties and donations, and no member receives financial benefit from our activities.

Yeah, but what about the play?

When Disco Died is a two-act, 150-minute reimagining of the Disco Elysium narrative, featuring new characters and live music. While we have introduced original elements, many characters and plot threads remain faithful to the source material to honor the atmosphere of the original story. We don’t want to spoil too much, but you can expect familiar themes interwoven with several unique twists as we transport this world to a new medium.

Play description

The largest port of the world's disgraced former capital is under occupation by its workers. The multinational corporation in control has dispatched a team of mercenaries to impose order on the striking dockworkers, when suddenly, the mercenary leader is found dead. The workers are immediately cast as the primary suspects. The only person capable of solving the case and preventing a bloodbath is an inspector—an inspector suffering from amnesia who has lost all touch with reality. This should go well.

The protagonist of When Disco Died is tasked with simultaneously unraveling the dual mystery of his lost identity and the mercenary’s murder, while being utterly unprepared to handle even more fundamental problems, like remembering how to tie his own shoelaces. As the plot unfolds, he confronts a gallery of characters, each with something to hide and something to reveal. Will he manage to find the culprit, save the city, and rediscover who he was before his memory faded?

On the surface, this is the premise of the play you are about to see; however, the events themselves are not the core of the story, but merely the catalyst.

The weight of our history crushes us. The world of When Disco Died confronts us with a society that has experienced its historical end. Even if it appears to be a murder mystery, the central thematic axis of the narrative is the past: how we manage it and how we remain tethered to it. Naturally, while the investigation and the resolution of the murder serve as the primary narrative tools, they are simply the connective tissue for deeper themes: loss, memory, and hope.

In an absurd, defeated world without prospects—where frustration and resignation shape human consciousness—a man's confrontation with his past should be a lost cause. Yet, through the acceptance of the past and the rejection of its deterministic nature, a message of hope is woven for all of us. When everything seems futile, hope is all we have left. We fight, we hope, and we love even when we know we have already been defeated, because that is how our lives gain meaning and beauty. We love even though we know love fades; we live even though we know we will die, precisely because every other choice is far worse. Besides, what is there to lose when everything is already lost?

Until nothingness becomes nothing again, we are left with hope. We cannot fear the future when we already know how it ends, nor can we prevent it. What is meant to be will be; until then, we will be here, living, hoping, and loving. Everything humanity has achieved was accomplished against the odds and against existing reality. And if we are lucky, we will do it again.

Can I see it?

You can see it in the dates,hours and venues that are stated on our posters and on th.o.fysikou social media pages. We will be video taping the play with the help of a talented crew with professional level equipment and it will have english subtitles, because the play will be in greek. If you are in Athens and would like to see the play you can just come and watch it free of charges. You can notify us in the stated phone numbers and/or in our social media pages. 

P.S: If any of you are interested we can organise an AMA to answer any questions the community has.