A
Greek tragedy in all its glory
By Smriti Daniels
Wonders are many on Earth, and the greatest of these is Man
The latest challenge facing the Drama Society of S. Thomas’
College, Mount Lavinia is the enacting of the sweeping passion of
Sophocles’ Antigone- considered by many to be the greatest
of the Greek tragic plays. As they step back in time and into the
world of the great Greek playwright, they intend to carry a captivated
audience along with them.
The
Drama Society, which had in 2001 brought to life the first of the
Sophoclean tragedies of King Oedipus, is now set to present the
last of the trilogy. Why Antigone? The answer is simple. It has
all the elements of a great tragedy. The plot is built on the conflict
that arises when a protagonist is forced to choose between the higher
unseen laws and the lower visible ones. If the protagonist chooses
to stand grounded in the higher unseen law, such a conflict will
inevitably lead to her martyrdom and revolt against the lower visible
law. The ensuing destruction, as in all good tragedies, is bound
to be quite heart wrenching.
For connoisseurs of tragic plays, this one – a guaranteed
90-minutes of intrigue and tragedy is a must see. The cast, comprising
25 students, is eager to enact a play, which they believe is still
relevant to a modern audience, despite having been written in the
5th century. Vinodh Senadeera, an old boy of the school, who now
completes 20 years of both acting and directing for the college,
steps in as the director of this production.
Those familiar with the famous play will be interested to know that
the college’s chapel steps will be masquerading as King Creon’s
palace. In the traditional manner, the play is performed on the
bare ground of the chapel steps with the traditional twelve-member
chorus narrating the great lyrical odes of Sophocles. Also in keeping
with tradition, no props will be used. Performed while strictly
adhering to the real Greek tragic form, the audience will be given
a chance to appreciate the Greek tragedy in all its glory –
beginning with the exposition and the initial incident followed
by the sharply rising action and the climax and concluding finally
with the resolution.
The protagonist, Antigone, is to be played by Nigel Walters, while
Chaminda Samaraweera is to play King Creon. Dasith de Silva features
as Ismene, Antigone’s sister and Nadim Majeed and Janeeth
Rodrigo have been cast as the Sentry and the Messenger, respectively.
Shanil Wijesinhe is Teiresias while Biman Wimalaratne is to be Haemon.
The Drama Society now in its 133rd year has the most distinguished
record of dramatic activity in the country. Former Greek productions
by the Drama Society include Alcestis, Wasps and King Oedipus. Besides
these the repertoire of the society comprises a number of Shakespearean
plays, along with numerous works from other periods. They also count
two musicals – Oliver! and Piano and Drums – in their
rich and varied history.
The production of Antigone is to be staged from July 15 –
18, at the college chapel steps, commencing at 8 p.m. Tickets are
available at Barefoot Gallery and the college office. The production
is sponsored by Dwelco (pvt.) Ltd. Media sponsors are MTV, YES FM,
Classic FM, and The Sunday Times.
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