This year’s student-run play, “Antigone Now,” directed by seniors Makenze Humphrey and Payton Rice, looks at how different individuals grieve, whether it be for a person or one’s own pride.
“A lot of the shows that we did this year were comedic shows, and we wanted to switch it up,” Payton said.
“Antigone Now,” which finished its two-day run on April 19, follows the protagonist Antigone, played by sophomore Izzy Schafer, who battles with the death of her two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles. It is set in a tyrannical post-war world in which everyone seems to run from their own grief. King Creon, played by junior Will Wichman, proclaims that Polynices, who opposed Creon in the war, would rot without burial while brother Eteocles would be buried with honor.
The play opens with Antigone’s older sister, Ismene, played by junior Maddy Levy, listening to music through her headphones as the outside world paces behind her, burying the dead. Despite King Creon’s command that Polynices would not be buried, Antigone asks Ismene for help to bury him anyway, which she refuses. After warnings from King Creon and Ismene, Antigone defies the law and buries her brother, resulting in her execution. Society turns against King Creon because of his decision, resulting in the loss of his public favor and pride.
“It was definitely one of the most emotional shows I’ve seen at Latin,” junior Scarlett Lipe said.
Other audience members agreed. Junior Lucy Baer said, “A lot of the parts of the show were really shocking, and the lighting design really added to the feel of the play.”
Stage Manager and junior Aislinn Curry agreed that the technology added a lot to the performance. “[The show] progressed a lot,” she said. “It helped to have the tech and the lights, and the sound really brought it together. Just alone, the actors are great, but everything all together made it amazing.”
Makenze compared the backstage production of a student-run play to that of an Independent Study Project (ISP) in the Upper School. “It is run by the directors and entirely by the students,” she said. “You have guidance, but it’s like an ISP advisor, where they help you out, but there was not a lot of faculty advising, and there were no teachers at our practices. We made a lot of changes throughout the process. The five people with the narrator parts were just one person at first.”
Commemorating her last play at Latin, Payton encouraged all students to join the Latin theater community. “It is a strong one, tight-knit, but also so open. The more the better!”
