ELIZABETH SUSKI
Special to The Leader
Have you ever been interested in Sophocles, but never enjoyed reading his texts?
Well look no further; “Antigone,” one of his most famous plays, will be performed at the end of the month. This adaption is more contemporary.
Antigone is a part of a trilogy. The other two plays that go along with it are “Oedipus Rex” and “Oedipus at Colonus.”
In “Oedipus Rex” the main character, Oedipus, ends up killing his father (without realizing it’s his father) and marrying his mother. His mother ends up committing suicide and Oedipus blinds himself.
In “Oedipus at Colonus,” Oedipus and his daughter Antigone arrive at Colonus. Oedipus dies, and this is where all of Antigone’s problems arise.
Antigone is a heroine and the princess of Thebes. She fights for the burial of her brother who has been deemed a traitor.
Her uncle, King Creon, has announced that anyone who tries to bury her brother will be condemned to death. Antigone defies her uncle and does what she believes is right.
During this time period, women were still considered inferior to men.
“She can’t live a life of lies and sacrifices,” said Aterahme Lawrence, a senior with a creative writing minor. “The play asks us if her actions lead to her death.”
Lawrence plays Antigone along with another student, Julia Kerr.
Her favorite comedic scene is one with King Creon, his Page and the Guard Jonas. A dramatic scene would definitely be one of the ending scenes with Antigone and King Creon.
“There are 15 pages of uninterrupted dialogue. I think it’s tough to keep people interested in a two-person scene that is very intimate and powerful,” she said.
While some theater sets can be abstract or over the top, this production is written to have a bare stage.
“We have created Antigone’s world to be set in a museum. Each character represents an artifact. Antigone’s world is where the private comes to the public, and our artifacts come to life,” said Lawrence.
Costumes can really bring a play to life.
“The contemporary costumes allow for our audience to feel as if they’ve walked into a Fredonia art exhibit that travels back in time to ancient/contemporary Greece,” said Lawrence.
Since Lawrence is double casted, she will take turns playing Antigone with Kerr. Her performances are Friday, Feb. 22, Sunday, Feb. 24 and Friday, March 1.
Tickets are available online and at the ticket office located in the Williams Center.
“There are also some cool giveaways happening for the chance to win tickets,” said Lawrence.
More information can be found at events.fredonia.edu/event/antigone.