TIMELESS THEMES OF ‘ANTIGONE’
REVISITED IN UH PRODUCTION
In a media era defined by images of religious fanatics dying for
their causes and the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, it’s easy
to forget that these headlines aren’t confined to the 21st
century. Sophocles saw them coming a long time ago.
“We’ve been wrestling with some of this stuff as long
as people have been able to write it down,” said Jack Young,
associate professor in the University of Houston’s School
of Theatre & Dance, which is staging a five-show run of “Antigone,”
beginning at 8 p.m. on Nov. 10 in the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center
for the Arts’ Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre.
Pitting man’s laws against nature’s, Sophocles' powerful
tragedy tests the devotion of a sister against the will of an authoritarian
leader, as the heroine Antigone defies the Theban ruler’s
decree that her slain brother not be buried.
“On the one hand, Antigone is fighting for certain things
that we would find very appealing, in the sense that she is trying
to take care of her brother who has been killed,” Young said.
“And yet the fervor with which she charges after that is also
a little scary, in that fundamentalist sense of someone’s
being so obsessed with managing this world in a certain way that
they’re willing to risk death themselves.”
Audiences can expect a highly kinetic adaptation of the play, including
a use of movement and close harmonies by the chorus that is vital
and visceral, Young said.
The 2 p.m. Sunday matinee on Nov. 19 will be followed by a 30-minute
showcase featuring eight new graduate acting students, who were
recruited from national auditions in New York and Chicago
"This Backstage Peek is to give audience a little 'after-show
aperitif,' a chance to see the actors in a different light,”
Young said."
WHAT: |
“Antigone” |
WHEN: |
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 – Saturday, Nov. 11; Friday,
Nov. 17 – Saturday, Nov. 18;
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19 |
WHERE: |
Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre
University of Houston - Entrance 16
Houston, TX 77204-4017 |
WHO: |
University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance |
For more information about UH visit
the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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