Leesville’s Theater Ensemble is performing Antigone on May 27 at 3:30, and on May 28 at 6:30. Tickets can be purchased at the door. 

The show is being put on by Mr. Hurley’s Honors theater ensemble class.

The play was written in 441 BCE by the Greek Tragic Poet Sophocles. It was written in part as a continuation of the cursed family line of Oedipus Rex. 

Gretchen Bentley, senior, plays the lead Antigone. Bentley said, “Antigone is very headstrong and stubborn; she does not like to do things she disagrees with, she follows the rules of the gods and tradition.”

After Antigone’s brothers kill each other in a civil war over the throne of Thebes, King Creon forbids anyone from burying the “traitorous” brother, Polyneices. Antigone believes the gods’ laws about burial are more important than the king’s rules, so she performs a symbolic funeral anyway. Her sister Ismene is too afraid to help, but Antigone goes through with it and is immediately caught. When brought before the King, Antigone refuses to apologize, arguing that Creon is being a prideful tyrant.

Kylen Tischner, junior, is the show’s stage manager. Tischner said, “It’s a very interesting and new experience because we have audience on two sides rather than the normal audience arrangement. It’s definitely a different process. My favorite part is how hard all the actors are working. Lucas Casterline plays the King Creon, and it’s been really cool to see him progress. I hate his character, but he’s doing amazingly as an actor.”

Nate Schafer, junior, said, “I play Haemon, Creon’s son, who looks up to his dad and really wants Creon to approve of his love for Antigone. The process has been grueling, but it’s really coming together.”

Like Ancient Greek Theater, Leesville’s production incorporates Greek masks or prosopons. Bentley said, “You have to be very big with your emotions because of the masks, that’s a big part of it because it’s Greek theater, we’re incorporating the masks, so you really have to use your voice and your hands.”.

Since the show is from a very different theatrical era, it has been a different experience for most actors. Bentley said, “I really like how dramatic it is, the stakes are very high, and the tension is high. I’m really excited for the modernization of such an old play because a lot of people know that Greek theater was a big deal, but I feel like it’s very hard for most people to understand because the language is so old. So I feel like with modernization, people can actually learn the story.”

Between the modern translation, the unique two-sided seating, and the intense Greek masks, Mr. Hurley’s class is turning a 2,000-year-old family feud into genuinely enjoyable. The cast and crew have been working like crazy to bring all this high-stakes drama to life, and it’s definitely going to be worth watching.