Interview: Sivan Raz Dives into Greek Mythology in PANTHE-ON! at The Green Room 42
This spicy, bold and colorful ensemble brings the Greek pantheon to life tonight 1/23 at 9:30 pm
Tonight, January 23, 2025 at 9:30 pm, join Needs More Work Productions as they take you on a journey of brave heroes, mythical quests and a whole lot of divine drama!
This spicy, bold and colorful ensemble brings the Greek pantheon to life. With songs from Gypsy, A New Brain, Next To Normal and many more, the Greek Gods are ready to leave it all on the dance floor- maybe literally.
Straight off their run of Anti-Gone and before they move to their next Greek tragedy, Needs More Work Productions is ready to do what they do best- give you a classic tale with a brand new spin that'll leave you craving for more.
Read a conversation with Sivan Raz, Artistic Director of Needs More Work Productions, the producer and director of Panthe-ON! who plays Athena in the show.
Panthe-ON! is described as bringing Greek mythology back with a modern twist. What inspired you to blend classical myths with contemporary musical theater?
Panthe-ON! was first conceived as an event to help raise funds for Needs More Work Productions’ 2025 season. We are in the midst of developing a theatrical piece called The Kings’ Cycle, a pair of adaptations for famous Greek tragedies (Antigone and The Bacchae), and I wanted our fundraising events to complement and add to the themes that already exist in our theater work. Bringing these ancient myths to the NYC cabaret scene, I felt it would be fun to use this unexpected clash of style in our favor, and play around with the space we were given- the traditional (and fabulous) cabaret stage of The Green Room 42. Instead of trying to force the format into our comfort zone, we bring these unique characters with our style and personality into the NYC cabaret world, and explore what it feels like when these realities collide- and the fun chaos that ensues.
Your production features songs from shows like Gypsy, A New Brain, and Next To Normal. How did you select these particular songs to represent the Greek gods?
This was one of my favorite processes I’ve ever experienced while creating a show. The great thing about the Greek pantheon is that these characters not only have such distinct personalities- they are so familiar and their history is so rich that they enter the “running gag” territory. You don’t have to be a mythology scholar to be aware that Zeus is infamous for sleeping around outside of marriage. So selecting the song "Always True To You (In My Fashion)" from Kiss Me, Kate for him is not only natural, but it feels hilarious and nostalgic- like we all gather around to meet our old friends and laugh at their familiar antics. The song selection was not about thinking of the Gods’ domains, but their personalities, ages-old feuds and the chips on their shoulders. Thankfully, the musical theater cannon has a plethora of songs about all of these things!
Your company is known for performing in green spaces around New York City. How does the transition to an indoor venue like The Green Room 42 affect your artistic approach?
It both changes many things and does not change anything. At heart, we’re a site-specific and immersive theater company. That means whatever space we find ourselves in, our mission is to fully immerse ourselves in that place. We join an existing world rather than trying to transport our audiences to a different reality, and show you how some of these classical stories we tackle can really take place everywhere and be relevant to everyone. In that sense, The Green Room 42 is not so different from the Moore Jackson Community Garden where we performed last summer. Even though the space is new, the idea of bringing our story to a world that already exists is the same. We are so thrilled to inhabit this top cabaret venue and bring these characters to a space where they have microphones and stage lights and they can unleash their full inner divas. I cannot think of a more appropriate space to let the Olympians air out their family dramas, nor better people to be their judges and cheerleaders than the NYC audiences.
As both the director and an actor in the show (playing Athena), how do you balance these dual roles during the creative process?
With a lot of great help! I have a fantastic team, with Producers Penelope Rose Deen and Jennie Reich Litzky helping me throughout the process, and our amazing Musical Director Jack Oliver Kotanen. All three are dear friends and wonderful collaborators, and it’s truly been a blast to lift this project off the ground with a team I love so dearly.
Besides that, it’s a lot of singing in front of the mirror, taking videos on my phone and making recordings. Not really glamorous, but I’m a big believer in making the most out of your resources when creating indie work! The multitasking chaos is part of the charm of this whole process, both for me as a creator and for the audience who get to experience a final result that makes the most out of the live, spontaneous nature of theater.
Needs More Work Productions focuses on social activism themes. How does Panthe-ON! address contemporary issues through the lens of Greek mythology?
Human society has been facing the same issues since the dawn of time. Some of the things our Godly characters are struggling with will be all too familiar to modern audiences- be it the treatment Hephaestus gets from the Queen of the Gods due to his disability or Aphrodite’s frustration from being used for her looks by men. I think looking at these very painful, relevant situations through a character that’s so mythological and grand provides both comfort and a bit of distance in perspective. We get to address these things in a very supportive setting, giving some people the feeling of being seen and others a new understanding of what their peers might be experiencing. We also get to present characters, many of whom originally represent white men of the elite, with a cast of diverse bodies, personalities and backgrounds. Just the other day we were joking about the sheer number of performers who use She/They pronouns in the cast! (It is an overwhelming majority).
Our Musical Director, Jack Oliver Kotanen, adds that “While Greek mythology often is seen through a primarily masculine lens, Panthe-ON! brings the same stories to life from feminine and non-binary perspectives, as well as pointing out the parallels between these old stories and our current society”. I couldn’t agree more!
This show is part of a larger season of Greek tragedy adaptations. Can you give us a sneak peek into what’s coming next after Panthe-ON!?
You can absolutely expect more where this came from ;) We are getting ready to present Anti-Gone- our original, choose-your-own-ending adaptation of Antigone, at the NYC Fringe Festival this upcoming April. This show is tried and tested with a hugely successful workshop run last summer, and we can’t wait to bring it back bigger and better than ever before. Later this summer you can expect to see its sequel, Back-Eye (The Bacchae), currently in development- and together the two pieces make up The Kings’ Cycle- an immersive piece exploring the mechanisms of democracy from the moment of its inception until today via a direct discussion with YOU- our audience.
If you’re looking to satisfy your Greek Tragedy needs before April, we also have an event planned for February in collaboration with the New Perspectives Theater Company, where we will read one of the funniest plays ever written with a cast of NYC’s best and brightest. Follow us on Instagram or email us at needsmoreworkproductions@gmail.com and be the first to hear when dates and tickets go live!
The press release mentions that proceeds from this show will help fund your upcoming season of theater made by and for trans, BIPOC, immigrant, and disabled creators. Can you tell us more about these future projects?
This statement comes from myself, Sivan Raz, the Artistic Director of Needs More Work Productions, being a part of all of these communities. I think my perspective as a creator coming from several marginalized groups is intrinsically linked to my creation, both on an artistic and administrative level. It is one of our top goals as a company to make sure everything we do highlights people whose voices we really need to amplify culturally, both because we haven’t heard them enough in the past and because the things they have to say are poignant and crucial. In every casting call Needs More Work Productions has posted so far we’ve managed to prioritize trans, disabled and BIPOC actors. We hope that by growing our audiences and reaching out to people who are interested in more traditional musical performances we might expand our reach to even more collaborators of diverse communities. Either way, this company will always be led by voices of trans, BIPOC and disabled creators and our 2025 season will reflect that in its stories, casting and outreach.
Tickets to Panth-ON! And more upcoming shows are available on the Green Room 42’s website
Follow Needs Work Proudctions on Instagram or email them at needsmoreworkproductions@gmail.com to be the first to hear when dates and tickets go live.
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