CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Antigone in the Amazon (NTGent & Sydney Festival)

limelight-arts.com.au: Fifth century B.C. Greek tragedian Sophocles is a serious choice for the 21st century Sydney Festival; not something bright and breezy you might expect from your standard summertime show. But if anything could rouse this city out of its silly season torpor, Antigone in the Amazon is it.

1 comment:

Abigail Lytar said...

Reading this article was eye opening to me, previously I have not heard of Theatrical director Milo Rau. As someone who has studied Sophocles’s Antigone in three proir classes and been part of a production of it, I found the description of Rau’s new twist very intriguing. The article adds that while very few scenes from the original work are represented in the production it all boils down to the same thing. Fighting injustice, Antigone is fighting to restore her brother's name and the Landless Workers Movement fights against the injustice they are facing. I think that the choice to maintain the traditional choir in this show is powerful, while Rau adapted so much he kept the tradition of the choir alive as a call back to its roots. He made them the voice of reason and logic which is so often how they are utilized in traditional greek theatre. Overall, I think that this production is incredibly interesting and something I would enjoy the opportunity to witness.