Theatre Department Prepares for Fall Production of Antigone
With a strict schedule that they need to follow at all times, and an adaptation that is nothing like anything they have done in the past, the theatre department is working strenuously to ensure that the Fall production of Antigone will come together in one piece for opening night on Sept. 14.
The production of Antigone has been modernized and takes place in the 1930s, instead of the traditional Greek setting, and has had the language updated so the play is more understandable.
Antigone was chosen by director and theater teacher Chad Little to allow students to incorporate the English curriculum with theatre and to better understand the world around them.
“I was looking for something that could incorporate English and for something that has connections to current atmospheres around the country,” said Little. “Theatre is a big part of English and having that connection is good in order to allow more students to experience theatre. I wanted [the production] to be something that they could connect the message with with something that they see on the news.”
The show, which started production at the beginning of the last school year, has had a very tight schedule, dropping from the usual eight weeks of rehearsals to a mere four and a half.
“I’ve stayed after school every day except for three or four days since school has started,” sophomore Bailey Annan said, who works on tech crew. “It’s very strenuous, and I’m very tired.”
“In the very beginning, we [the tech crew] had worked super hard, but then we fell behind schedule. We got distracted by talking to each other. On weekdays, we work from 2:35 p.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays, we work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We have to be committed when we work so much,” said Annan.
The play will be less demanding for the tech crew once the play is taking place because there are no set changes, so there is no need for a running crew.
“It doesn’t hurt my feelings. We built the set and that was it,” said Annan.
Though the hours may be tough and the workload may be demanding, the cast and crew seem to think that Antigone was a good selection for this year’s Fall play.
“We haven’t done a Greek tragedy in the four years that I’ve been here. It’s fun and it challenges everyone in the production crew. The language is not quite adapted so that it’s modern day language, and we can’t quite grasp the concepts so it’s not necessarily relatable to us, but it’s still relevant,” said senior Mary Carter, who plays the title role of Antigone.
For Carter, getting into the character of Antigone consists of reading the script, repeating lines, and “trying to figure out why Antigone says the things she says and why she does the things she does.”
Carter originally auditioned for the role because Antigone is “a strong, independent woman who knows her morals and knows what she wants and is not afraid to get it.”
The play will run from Sept. 14 through Sept. 16. Tickets are $5 for ITS for students, $7 for students, and $10 for adults.
by Kyle Wolfe, Writing Wizard