Today: Mar 28, 2024

Crescent Players give a modern twist to “Antigone”

Morgan DouglasSports Editor

The university’s theatre returned with its first production of the spring semester, Antigone. 

Showings were staged Thursday, March 3, through Sunday, Mar. 6 at the main stage in the Lyman Center. 

An ancient Greek play by Sophocles, the story of Antigone is the final installment in the Oedipus trilogy, with events centering around the remaining family members of the famous, or infamous Oedipus Rex, with the titular character, played by senior theatre major Kat Duffner, being Oedipus’ daughter. 

Seeing as the university is no longer showing the play, this may not need to be said, but spoiler alert, nonetheless. 

This 6th century play had a 21st century twist, complete with TV sets, rock music and the uniforms of modern soldiers. 

“It was actually a cast suggestion,” Second sound assistant Kristen Rosa, a junior psychology major, said. “Because the goal of the show was to kind of make it feel timeless, because obviously it is an older show, but we wanted to make it feel like it could be happening today, but also back then. So, we felt like the music and like the costumes kind of added to that effect.” 

The play did not have an intermission and ran about an hour, opening with a fight scene featuring soldiers wearing modern garb fighting toe-to-toe with swords as an electric guitar played in the background. 

The dystopian set was adorned with half a dozen television monitors which would show a news reporter giving updates on the situation going on in the city of Thebes. 

A new ruler has emerged from the recent chaos, King Creon, Antigone’s uncle, played by secondary education/history major Daniel Santana-Gonzalez, who takes over after Antigone’s brothers, who had been sharing the rule, killed one another in a fight scene to start the play. 

“My favorite part was the fight scene in the beginning because of the lighting transitions.” assistant lighting designer Ren Hoerner, a fourth-year theatre major, said. 

Antigone wants a proper burial for her brother Polynices, who Creon views as a traitor, Antigone goes against her uncle’s wishes and disobeys him by burying her brother and landing in a whole pile of trouble. 

“It’s a really interesting play,” light board operator Sam Mena, a senior, said. “I’d never seen or heard of it before. It’s my first time, but I really enjoyed it. Very entertaining.” 

Of course, as in most any play, there is a romantic angle. This one comes in the form of Antigone and Creon’s son, Haemon, played by Keegan Smith, a senior honors college student studying psychology. 

Creon is wroth when he learns of Antigone’s actions and orders her to be buried alive in a tomb. 

What appeared to be a drifter vagabond of some sort then staggered on to the stage alleging to be part of the play and claiming to be the prophet Tiresias. 

“My favorite part was probably Tiresias, when he’s giving his prophecy,” Mena said. “I think the lighting, the sound effects, it’s really cool.” 

Haemon tries to reason with his father seemingly to no avail, but by the time Creon softens his stance, it is too late. 

Both Antigone and Haemon take their own lives and Haemon’s mother, Queen Eurydice takes her own life in turn out of grief, leaving Creon’s family and his rule in shambles. 

“I think it went really well for what we did do,” Rosa said. “I think that the actors have done an amazing job, and everyone here has worked so hard, and it’s been honestly an amazing time working with the show.” 

Theatre’s next offering on campus will be a student directed and designed festival of one act plays, which will run at the end of April. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Latest from Blog