Livingston High School theater students will present the ancient Greek tragedies Oedipus and Antigone by Sophocles next weekend. The production, director by theater teacher Scott Patteson, will feature modern adaptations of the plays by Ian Finley.
The production will take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, November 19, 20, and 21, at 5 p.m. each day, outdoors in front ofthe high school, Patteson explained. “The school’s main entrance is literally part of our set.”
Audiences may watch the production live or virtually, Patteson notes. “We’re giving our audience two options: they can either purchase tickets to view the show in-person, socially distanced on blankets and lawn chairs, or they can livestream the show via Facebook. If they choose the latter, we’ll add them to a private Facebook group from which they can stream the show live at the time of the performance. In addition to being COVID-friendly, this option is also great because now family members and relatives in other cities and states will be able to ‘attend’ the show.” Audiences streaming the event, however, will need a Facebook account, he said.
Tickets must be purchased, whether for viewing the play live or online. They can be purchased at lhstheater.com.
First performed between 430 and 426 B.C., Oedipus Rex is the story of a king who flees his native Corinth to Thebes in an attempt to escape a terrible prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. However, in attempting to escape his fate, he rushes headlong to meet it.
Antigone recounts the story of the daughter born of the unwittingly incestuous union of Oedipus and his mother. At the end of events of Oedipus Rex, Antigone and her sister, Ismene, serve as guides for their exiled father. After his death, the sisters return to Thebes, where they attempt to reconcile their quarreling brothers, with tragic results.
The cast includes Jonah Ruderman, as Oedipus; Leah Waessa as Jocasta; Nick Marino as Creon; Shreya Pandey, as Tiresias; Andrea Zhang, as the Corinthian; and Ethan Rivera plays Messenger #1.
Raquel Silva plays Antigone, and Jayden Declet, Ismene. Joseph JeanMarie portrays Haemon, and Bryce Kirkland is Messenger #2.
The production also features the traditional Greek choruses. The Oedipus chorus includes Aishanee Acharyya, Sylvie Friedman, Alina George, Miriam Grodin, Charlotte Heilpern, Cat Powers, and Ethan Rivera.
The Antigone Chorus features Elizabeth Hua, Bryce Kirkland, Dasara Kurti, Ariel Lewis, Jenna Raiss, and Max Wasserstein.
“We’re really excited to share this production ...
