Civic Rep to Present Caroline Bird's Irreverent, Modern Adaptation of THE TROJAN WOMEN

Civic Rep launches back onto the Seattle theatre scene with a production of British playwright and poet Caroline Bird's radical retelling of Euripides' The Trojan Women. Bird transports this famous anti-war tragedy to the modern setting of a prison hospital. Beyond the prison walls, Troy and its people burn. Inside the prison, the city's captive women await their fate. But their grief at what has been before will soon be drowned out by the horror of what is to come, as the Greek lust for vengeance consumes everything - man, woman and baby - in its path.

"The time is modern but not specified," states Bird. "There are machine guns, condoms, and televisions, but this is also a land ruled over by gods, ancient hierarchies, and the unshakable faith in the power of ceremony."

The adaptation's juxtaposition of modern with ancient and tragedy with humor resonates with director Leah Adcock-Starr. "It's contemporary, brutal, wickedly funny, and dares us to see ourselves and our time reflected in this ancient story of the women of Troy," states Adcock-Starr. "It launches off of Euripides original incendiary text and brings all these badass women of Troy into an even greater pressure cooker of a room (the maternity ward of a prison) and condenses the role of the chorus into a single powerhouse of a woman speaking truth to power."

The production also represents a new direction for Civic Rep who began their work as a company with critically acclaimed productions of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire and The Two-Character Play in 2015. Artistic Director L. Zane Jones states, "In 2003, when our country went to war in Iraq, I started directing various adaptations of The Trojan Women. When we were considering projects for 2016-17, I came upon Caroline Bird's version and it stopped me in my tracks. It is so original - and unapologetically political. She goes further than most and takes a very good hard look at the power dynamics and problems between the women themselves - a necessary and bold critique and challenge to us all, I think."

The production features the acting talents of Robin Jones, L. Zane Jones, Nick Rempel, Richard Sloniker, Anna Lamadrid, and recent Gregory Award winners Ray Tagavilla and Shermona Mitchell. The design team includes Andrew Smith (lighting), Andy Swan (sound), and Julia Welch (scenic and costume).

The Trojan Women is in previews January 4-5. The show runs January 6-29. Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 7:30pm and Sundays at2pm at The Slate Theater (815 Seattle Blvd. S., Seattle WA 98134). Tickets are $20-$30 and are available at civicrep.org.

About Caroline Bird

Caroline Bird's theatre credits include The Trojan Women (Gate Theatre), Sixty Six Books (Bush Theatre) where she wrote a piece inspired byLeviticus, The Trial of Dennis the Menace (Purcell Room, Southbank Centre), a musical inspired by the Beano, Chamber Piece (Lyric Hammersmith,) and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Northern Stage). Chamber Piece recently premiered at Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith as part of their 'Secret Theatre' season. In 2012, she was shortlisted for 'Most Promising New Playwright' at the Off-West-End Awards and was one of ten finalists for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2014.

About Civic Rep

A creative collective formed in 2014, Civic Rep is interested in contemporary work and re-imagining classic plays. Previous productions include Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (January 2015) and Tennessee Williams' The Two-Character Play (July 2015).

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