Gonzaga Theatre & Dance Presents ‘Antigone’
SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga University theatre and dance department will present its production of Sophocles’ classic tragedy “Antigone” livestreamed from the Magnuson Theatre at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, March 26-27 followed by a 2 p.m. matinee performance on Sunday, March 28. The free performances can be viewed live at Facebook http://bit.ly/3r9aI8N or YouTube http://bit.ly/30bRseR.
The finale to a three-part trilogy that explores the fateful events of a royal family’s end, this timeless drama has been historically set as the barometer for the tragedy genre. Jean Anouilh’s adaptation of “Antigone” — first performed in Paris in 1944 under Nazi occupation — includes several significant changes to the source material to create a play that speaks directly to the social and political moment in France at the time and to contemporary American society as well.
Anouilh’s interpretation proposes the quest for justice is more complicated than as depicted in the original text. Antigone, the heroine and a child of war, journeys through the play with a moral certainty and impenetrable focus on the quest for justice despite all those around her calling for unity and peace.
The play resonates with our time as communities, families, and countries struggle with division. Antigone’s courage in the face of autocratic political power and a structure greater than herself has captivated audiences worldwide for centuries and continues to set the drama apart as an unforgettable story of civil disobedience and nonviolent protest.
This play forces us to reckon with complex moral questions with no easy answers — pitting old against young, male against female, and compromise against certainty. Audiences must wrestle with how to move forward in a world where no one is entirely right or wrong and there are no simple heroes and villains.
Contacts:
- Josephine Keefe, director: keefej@gonzaga.edu
- Kathleen Jeffs, Ph.D., theatre and dance department chair: jeffs@gonzaga.edu
- Amanda Long, marketing and public relations assistant: longa@gonzaga.edu