Greek Theatre classic Antigone to be staged at Swan Theatre, with a twist!
14 September 2022
The Worcester Rep Company have announced their next ambitious main stage production, a modern adaptation of one of Sophocles’ best known Greek tragedies, Antigone. Widely considered one of the greatest Ancient Greek tragedies, Antigone is as thought provoking, heart-breaking and relevant today as it was thousands of years ago – and it’s coming to the main stage in Worcester this October.
Written by bestselling Irish poet and playwright Hollie McNish, this vibrant adaptation stays true to the story; bringing the same shocking plot and conflicting characters, but spoken in modern English and with a surprising sense of humour. This version is set in a modern-day Thebes, as Antigone finds her world turned upside down with her mother, father and brothers now dead. When the tyrannical King of Thebes Kreon refuses to give Antigone’s brother a respectful burial, she decides to take matters into her own hands. What follows is a heart wrenching story about loyalty, faith and the meaning of justice, told beautifully through McNish’s poetic and satirical style – who knew this tragedy could also be funny at times?
Excitingly, this production is not only the first production of its kind to be performed at the Swan Theatre, but the first pro-am (professional & amateur) production this year. Antigone is a collaboration between the Worcester Rep company, The Young Rep and the new People’s Rep; the latter being made up of talented actors from the community and a mix of all ages.
When speaking about working with actors from the community alongside professional actors, Director Owen Harper said
“There has been a great atmosphere in the rehearsal room, and you can really feel the enthusiasm and passion from all of our cast members. Bringing together our community cast, our Young Rep and the Worcester Rep for Antigone has been an incredibly special part of the process, and I feel very grateful to be part of that journey. I absolutely love Hollie McNish's adaptation of Antigone; the strong imagery that comes through the writing makes it a pleasure to direct, and I can’t wait for audiences to see what we’ve created.”
The professional cast will see Worcester Rep regular Charlotte Swarbrick play Antigone, who some may remember as Belle from last year’s pantomime Beauty and the Beast, or from this Summers performance of Round and Round the Garden at The Commandery. Joining Charlotte is Rob Holman as Kreon the tyrannical King, Christina Appana as Ismene Antigone’s suffering sister, and Aaron Corbett as Haemon, Antigone’s devoted fiancé and Kreon’s son.