Love, loyalty, betrayal and suffering —- students in Traverse City West Senior High School's Advanced Acting course are presenting the classic Greek tragedy "Antigone” for a three-day run this week.
With shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening at the school, the 24-person cast is intensely rehearsing this week to finalize the production, which features percussion by members of the school's drum line and original choreography by senior Elizabeth Pixley.
"It's great theater, it's timeless,” said Kristie Bach, the school's theater arts teacher. "It's very dramatic and even though it's a tragedy, it has some very funny parts to it, too.”
Bach has never attempted a play of this complexity and emotional charge before, but knew her students this year were ready. A previous production of "Pride and Prejudice” was difficult but not to the scale of "Antigone.”
"I am so excited about this performance, I think it's going to be one of the best things I've ever done here,” she noted. "I always want to do something for the advanced theater class that is historically significant and has some challenges.”
The sequel to "Oedipus,” Sophocles wrote "Antigone” based on Greek legend of the happenings after Oedipus stepped down as king of Thebes and later died. The central tension is that Antigone, Oedipus' daughter, defies an order of her king and future father-in-law, Creon. She is determined to give one of her two brothers, who slew each other in a battle over the throne, the burial denied him by Creon. The other brother had been buried respectfully.
Clashing with Creon in a climactic scene, Antigone stands firm and is sentenced to death. Ignoring a prophet and the Greek chorus, Creon does not relent until too late and Antigone, his son and wife are dead.
"The highpoint is a scene with Antigone and Creon because it's the most charged,” said Abby Alexander, an 11th grade student who portrays Antigone in one of the casts. "It's really where her fate is decided for good.”
Bach tapped the drummers and Pixley for help after reading through the play and noting sections that called for music. She immediately heard percussion as the accompaniment, lined up the musicians and asked Pixley to create choreography for the Greek chorus. A veteran dancer who has choreographed solo pieces but never an ensemble number, Pixley worked with chorus members to craft the movements.
"For the battle scene, they came up with the sequence themselves and I just kind of put it together,” said Pixley, who is not in the play. "It's set movement, but modern inspired. I took it from my modern background.”
Keeping an open mind, Pixley read through the script for inspiration as she designed the dances.
"The chorus kind of had an essence they wanted to communicate with the audience,” she noted. "I just wanted to set up the play.”
Bach noted that "Antigone” also has complex scenery, costumes and lighting but her stagecraft class met the challenge. Facing real-world challenges with fixed deadlines and specific results, stagecraft students mastered their trade from the ground up.
"If somebody doesn't get something done, somebody else has to do it,” Bach said. "Really, we've had the best kids I've ever had in stagecraft.”
"Antigone” will be presented on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the West High School auditorium. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors; tickets are available from the school's box office, 933-7509, and at the door.