On November 28th, the day the Georgian government announced it was suspending talks on joining the EU, the Royal District Theatre in Tbilisi performed “Phaedra in Flames”, a contemporary take on a Greek myth that deals with power, politics and emancipation. That night, the actors took no curtain call. Still in their wigs and make-up, they led the audience out onto Freedom Square, where tens of thousands had again gathered to protest against the reclusive oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and his cronies, who have captured the Georgian state.