The cast of London High School’s “Antigone” will present shows Nov. 21-23: (front row, from left) Kaity Chastain, Isabella Kerry, Ethan Davitt, Addi Fraysier, Isaiah Capell; (second row) Sakari Gillen, Lily Beyer, Gael Juarez, Isabelle Litchfield; (third row) Abbigale Ater, Ben Dyer, Madison, Adison Daniels; (fourth row) Josie Ruble; (back row) Lily Studebaker, Audrina Maynard, Garek Logue, and Kolby Thoman.
(Posted Nov. 14, 2024)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
London High School’s drama department is tackling serious themes with its upcoming production of “Antigone,” a Greek tragedy by Sophocles.
The play opens in the aftermath of a battle in Thebes in which two brothers have died while fighting for opposing sides. Their uncle, Creon, becomes king and denies burial rites for the brother who fought against the city, further decreeing that anyone caught trying to bury his body will be put to death. Antigone, one of the brothers’ sisters, plans to defy that decree.
“On the one hand, you have Creon who says you have to stand for law and order or risk chaos. On the other hand, you have Antigone who follows a higher law over man’s law,” said Scott Blanton, play director and English teacher.
The play’s themes are timeless: conscience versus law, individual versus state, fate versus free will. Blanton said his student-actors are handling the material well. He made special note of the contributions of his veteran thespians.
“I appreciate the seniors and their hard work and leadership and overall excitement for the play,” he said.
While “Antigone” is one of the classics, the London crew has put its own spin on some aspects of the production, namely costumes, special effects, and music.
“They’re not wearing togas. The costumes are more ‘Hunger Games’ to update things a little,” Blanton said. “And we have some multimedia aspects on stage with scenes projected onto a screen during the seven odes (commentary chanted by the choral group).”
The crew also has put in many hours choosing music to accompany parts of the play and editing those choices to fit the scenes.
Audiences are invited to see how everything comes together with shows set for Nov. 21-23 at 7 p.m. in the Joyce Hildebrand Auditorium at London High School. Tickets will be sold at the door and are $10 for adults and $8 for students.
