"Antigone"
Sophocles
adapted by Keith Scales
Classic Greek Theatre, Sept-Oct, 2008
The Chorus on guard
Photos by Rebecca J. Becker,
courtesy of Classic Greek Theatre Company
Following my third outdoor production of Shakespeare with Portland Actors Ensemble, I did my third outdoor production of ancient Attic drama with Classic Greek Theatre (both in the same, little-more-than three-year period). As before, Keith Scales was the director.
Once again I was in the Chorus, but this time I also got a scene of my own as a Messenger who brings the news of Antigone's suicide in the cave, and the confrontation between Haemon, her fiance, and his father Creon, which ends in Haemon's suicide as well.
My longtime colleague Christy Bigelow, who had been in my first outdoor Shakespeare production of "As You Like It" three summers before, as well as "Arcadia" and "Peace," played the title role, and was magnificent. David Heath, who had a powerful scene as Tiresias, I knew from "Arcadia" and other projects. Creon was played by Daniel Shaw, whom I had seen in many shows but never worked with before. I also made the acquaintance of some terrific young actors, fresh out of school, named Alec Wilson, Nikolas Hobak, and Joshua Sawtell.
We were driven indoors by inclement weather more times than in the past -- twice for the entire show, and halfway through a third. This show also went on the road three times, since it is a popular play for study in high schools and colleges.
First stop was Beaverton High School on a Tuesday evening, September 22. The students were there by compulsion, and many were restless before and during the performance. House lights were kept up during the show to discourage misbehavior, but at one point they were dimmed to the crowd's great delight. In the middle of my big speech I was treated to the exquisite challenge of a teenage male pulling the ancient prank of shouting "Penis!" while pretending to cough.
Our trip to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, on September 30 more than made up for the unpleasantness of the high school performance. Though it can be a hellish drive up Interstate 5, none of us encountered any bad traffic, the campus is beautiful, and the full house of people of all ages was just wonderful to us.
Our final show was at the Hillsboro Arts Centre on October 5. Again, though the crowd was much smaller, the audience was very appreciative. Among the folks in attendance were my friends Joe Medina and Jamie Lawson, creators and producers of Afterhell, for several episodes of which I've done a variety of character voices over the years.
Here are some other photos from the production.
WHAT THEY SAID
"Scales’ modern text is brutally blunt and forceful, drawing gasps from audience, yet sometimes overly simple, at expense of poetry, nuance. The chorus’s storytelling, strong and harmonic vocally, is frequently overshadowed by choreography, traditional but clumsy on small stage. Creon, Antigone, Haemon, and, surprisingly, Sentry, approach on-key tragedy." -- Peanutduck, Followspot blog, 7/12/2008 02:08:00 PM