By Jadyn Buccilli
Staff Writer
The College’s student-run straight-play theatre group, All College Theatre, presented their fall production of “Antigone” in Kendall Hall’s Don Evans Black Box Theater. The production, which opened on Sept. 24 and closed on Sept. 26, sold out entirely by opening night.
Originally written in the Ancient Greek period, the play follows Antigone, a young woman who defies her uncle, King Creon, to give her deceased brother a proper burial. This particular production is based off of Jean Anouilh’s adaptation of the story, in which the events all take place during Germany’s occupation of Paris during World War II. ACT’s take on the play was directed by Janet Quartarone, executive director of the local company Shakespeare 70, which works with the College.
ACT saw this idea and took it to the next level, having the entire show take place in the present day. Quartarone achieved this with the intentional costume design of the characters. King Creon, despite his royal status, is dressed in a suit with slicked back hair, looking more presidential than king-like. His three guards wear camouflage pants and bulletproof vests, creating a military-style presence.
Antigone, despite Creon’s laws, ventures out to where her brother’s body is located in broad daylight, and attempts to give him a proper burial. Since Polynieces was seen as a traitor for attacking his own city, Creon decided that his body must instead waste away above ground for betrayal. Even when the guards catch Antigone in the midst of her burying and bring her back to Creon, she is determined to either finish the burial or die trying.
Antigone, once she is caught by the guards and Creon, is given the chance to pretend that nothing happened in order to save herself. Despite Antigone’s desire to live, she’d rather be executed than change her beliefs in order to please the king. Though the play concludes with her being sealed alive into a cave and then dying, there is a glimmer of hope. After Creon loses his son and wife to suicide as a result of Antigone’s absence, the audience could see Creon begin to sit with the guilt of what he has done.
Antigone is captured by the guards, who prepare to punish her for her crimes. (Photo by Finn Singley)
“I think it’s definitely a very relevant story to be telling right now,” said junior English major Kathryn Wyrovsky, who played the role of Antigone’s sister Ismene. “I think seeing that message of hope and the courage that Antigone displays is very important for people to see.”
This idea of standing for what you believe in has resonated hard with the cast of “Antigone,” even in times of uncertainty, which contains parallels for what is happening in the real world today.
“I see a lot of parallels between Antigone and Creon and the world we live in now, where everything seems out of order and those in charge consistently make nonsensical decisions,” says junior early childhood education and psychology major Denae Johnson, who played the title role of Antigone. “I feel like I live in Antigone’s internal monologue. She constantly asks why things are the way they are and doesn’t take no for an answer.”
Ismene and Antigone standing together in unity. (Photo by Finn Singley)
This modern interpretation of “Antigone” had also received positive feedback from the crowd. Anusree Deevi, a junior clinical and counseling psychology major, said, “I think it's a really neat way to make old stories more accessible to younger people. I believe modernizing stories allows for olden jargon to not be a barrier in enjoying stories from the past.”
With this modern retelling of a classic story, ACT was able to put on a production that was heavily thought provoking and will stay in the minds of viewers for weeks to come.
