San Antonio College Presents ANTIGONE as Part of Summer Rep, 7/14-17

SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE is proud to announce its next production: a visceral and physical adaptation of Sophocles' legendary tragedy ANTIGONE. Unlike many presentations of this ancient text, however, director Joseph Urick has chosen to present the style in its simplest and purest form: using the art of mask and voice. "There is no set, no projections, no gimmicks, or special effects," states Urick, "only the actors and their voices, performing a piece that serves more as a ritual for one of the pantheon of gods and goddesses of ancient Greece." When asked what a modern audience could expect from the piece, Urick said, "expect to experience something much different than what we accept as a conventional theatrical experience."

ANTIGONE presents the powerful story of the iron-willed daughter of Oedipus as she takes a fatal stand against her uncle, Kreon, the new ruler of Thebes. Favoring her own moral code to the dictates of an unjust ruler, Antigone becomes the first heroine of Western literature and a model of civil disobedience.

With Urick's desire to utilize the play's original text as a foundation for this vision, he has worked tirelessly with his cast of fourteen and infused the production with elements of stage combat and physical theatre to help inspire iconic and incendiary visuals. "Our hope is that by revealing parallels between Antigone and today's politically divisive climate, we aim to examine themes of social justice, humanity's historic penchant for conflict, and question the long-standing tradition of using rebellion as a tool for change."

The ensemble features both students of San Antonio College, and prominent actors of San Antonio's theatre community. The cast is led by Evie Armstrong as Antigone, and Brian Hill as Kreon. The rest of the cast includes Weston Billiet II, Ruby Lira, Kinsey Oliver, Rose Cohen Brown, Bryan Lesley, Deresha Nollan, Nathaniel Miller, Jovan Murray, Jessica Gainey, Zachary Ramon, Michael Zaiontz, and Cristina Gonzalez.

The production also features Fight Choreography and Sound Design by Urick, Costumes and Mask Designs by Rebecca J. Simons, and Erin Polewski Stage Manages.