More About the Show

THIS SHOW RUNS APPROXIMATELY 75 MINUTES AND IS PERFORMED WITHOUT AN INTERMISSION. 

~ We open the house 45 minutes before curtain. You may want to arrive a bit early to enjoy the show in our art gallery with a cup of coffee and one of our popular big cookies.

~ A discussion with director Rob Goudy and cast members will follow the performance on Sunday, February 28.

~ The Sunday, March 7th performance will be audio-described, based on reservations. Click here for a description of this and other access services at TRP.

MORE ABOUT THE SHOW...

Antigone is distraught with grief. Born into the accursed family of Oedipus, she now suffers the death of her two brothers, slain on opposing sides of war. Her brother Eteocles has received full burial honors, assuring him safe dispatch to the underworld. But by the decree of her uncle, Creon, the body of traitorous brother Polyneices is left to lie in disgrace, an offense to the gods. Antigone is left with an awful choice: abide by the law of man and condemn her brother; or follow her conscience and condemn herself.

The Burial at Thebes, a verse translation of Sophocles' classic tragedy Antigone, was written by Irish poet Seamus Heaney for the centennial of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 2004. Despite its Fifth Century B.C. provenance, the play presents issues of individual vs. state responsibility that are similar to modern political debates.

Creon is the politician torn between his own family obligations and the laws he is sworn to uphold. Antigone's righteous outrage is not enough to stave off disaster. Both, it can be argued, become victims of their willful pride. Not that much has changed, it seems, in 2,500 years.

Director Rob Goudy describes Heaney's adaptation as "poetry at its fullest, replete with dazzling imagery and a keen imagination, yet accessible."

Of TRP's in-the-round staging, reminiscent of the Greek, Goudy said, "The arena fits like a glove. We've created a space that is almost like a temple and has a sense of an older stone structure being built over by newer metal structures. I wanted the sense that the actors merely walked off the street to take part in the ritual of acting the play, so the costumes are modern."

"I think it's fascinating that Greek plays remain relevant," said Goudy. "They have stayed fresh because they allow the audience to bring their own thoughts to the theater and see their own world."

 

THE CAST
Messenger: Kieran Adcock-Starr
Tiresias: Linda Sue Anderson
Ismene: Ali Rose Dachis
Guard: Christopher Kehoe
Chorus: Corby Kelly
Antigone: Julie Kurtz
Creon: Seth Patterson
Eurydice: Ariel Pinkerton
Haemon: Max Polski
Chorus: Joel Raney

 

ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION STAFF
Director: Rob Goudy
Set Designer: Amber W. R. Miller
Lighting Designer: Nicole Fierce
Costume Designer: K. Sheree Mason
Prop Designer: Kate Elise
Composer: David Philip Norris
Stage Manager: Harold Edwards