As the final theater production of the school year grew closer, the cast and production crew of Antigone were working to finalize it. Practices after school every day went into making sure everything was ready for the production that took place April 21, 22 and 23.
The play was originally written as a Greek tragedy, but was adopted into a Cold War workplace setting for this production. This new setting still showcases the main idea of the play, the story of King Creon and Oedipus’ family’s rule in the city of Thebes. Main themes of family conflict and fate are large parts of the play.
A crucial piece of the play was understanding the characters from Greek times and translating them into the new setting of the play.
“Learning to play Antigone was a process that pushed me to explore the extremes of human emotionality as I attempted to capture the intense internal conflict she experiences throughout the piece,” Alexandra Berryman, senior, said.
Berryman played complex main character Antigone, who was standing up for herself against dictatorial regime.
With this complex play, the crew worked hours on end to finalize the final product. “having to redo scenes over and over again because some minor thing goes wrong, such as missing props or lights, has been one of the hardest parts of the play so far,” Nadia Haswell, freshman, said.
Haswell explained the necessity for each scene to be perfect within practices of the shows. Also described is the importance of bonding and community within the entire theater crew.
Along with the community of theater, the seniors of this group have been able to reflect on their time doing theater at school and what they have taken away form their final show.
“Allow them (the audience) to feel as if they are within the world in which they are watching. Shows are great on their own, yes, but an audience is what makes them spectacular. So if you want your show to be great, do it for the audience,” Grayson Buesing, senior, said.
Buesing describes what he has learned over his four years of theater, and the importance of performing for the audience, not for yourself.
Buesing, along with the rest of the Anitgone cast used this idea to convey this unique production.