Antigone – Meet the Actors!
We are about to start our digital run of Antigone so we would love to introduce you to Ailsa, who plays Antigone, and Neil, who plays Press Representative 1 and Alex, who plays Press Representative 2.
Ailsa Joy
I saw Polly Findlay’s Antigone many years ago at the National and I remember at the time, they connected her story to state surveillance. Live CCTV cameras littered the set and it’s a great theme to draw upon; a government feeling threatened by an act so personal and individual as a woman burying her brother.
Reading Helen Eastman’s adaptation, what stands out to me most is the exhaustion and agony of protest. Of having to make public statements in opposition to a law you know to be unjust. Of having to gather supporters and make rallying speeches. And if you don’t convince enough people that your cause is worthwhile then the law is upheld. It is so much easier to stand by and say nothing. It’s definitely safer!
Antigone’s bravery is breath-taking. There’s a line I love in Helen’s adaptation about forgotten bravery. “Women whose acts of defiance and sacrifice may have only been witnessed by the land, the sky, the rocks around them and the water flowing through.” How brilliant that at least this one woman’s story has survived the telling for centuries.
Neil Urquhart
Hello there,
It has been a pleasure to dive into rehearsals for Creation’s digital performance of the world’s most performed play, Antigone.It’s funny to be doing an ancient text in a modern environment. It just goes to show how universal the themes of the show are. This is an exciting new challenge, readjusting to Zoom, and tailoring our performances to it. However, the very talented cast and production crew make that easy. My character resembles the chorus, a voice for Thebes’ residents and a stalwart representative of the king. He expresses concerns, breaks exciting news, and acts as master of ceremony in the aftermath of great turmoil and civil war.
Although we perform in an entirely digital space, this production is far from the shows you saw during the pandemic. It’s not just a play done over Zoom but an adaptation that places the medium at the heart of the story. The show plays out during a press briefing, inviting the audience to step into the role of the World’s Media.
In rehearsals, we have been exploring the themes and subject matter with Helen Eastman, Artistic Director and world-renowned Ancient Greek buff. (Also getting to grips with a host of difficult-to-say names.) It’s surprised me just how closely the play reflects current events of the last year. The rhetoric of kings in the ancient world is oddly similar to the speeches delivered by politicians today.
I’m thoroughly excited to get this exciting reimagining in front of an audience.
Hopefully, we’ll see you there!
Alex Wood
Hello! It has been a genuine pleasure to be part of Creation Theatre’s adaption of the world’s most performed play Antigone. There’s always something new to discover every time we have done a rehearsal.
The character I play is one of two press reporters – the other played by the very talented Neil Urquhart – as they try to deal with the various changing news coverage that is coming in that will affect their world forever, even after the play is over.
Our artistic director, Helen Eastman has created something really wonderful here, as an evolution of turning a well known play into something that can involve everyone, and bring them into the world that is about to crumble.
I’m very excited to see the audience’s reactions to the events that will transpire over the course of the narrative. See you all soon, with the headlines.