Chrisopher play Antigone

Sophocles’ tragic play looks at the challenges of war and  human conflict

Photo by Keira Silver
Marino Najar-Rodreguez and Adriana Mireles are a part of the chorus in the Greek drama “Antigone” performed by the students in the Christopher High School Catamount Actors Theater progam.

By Keira Silver

With boisterous soldiers, a strong female protagonist, and a reimagined wartime setting, Christopher High School’s Catamount Actors Theatre shined its spotlight on classic Greek entertainment with the tragic play “Antigone.”

Written by Sophocles in 441 B.C., “Antigone” (pronounced ann-TIG-ə-nee) is the third play in his “Oedipus Rex” series. It focuses on the wartime affairs often associated with Greek history. The play closed March 24 after six shows.

The cast worked with director Dr. Kate Booth to tell the story of “Antigone,” a woman who strives against obstacles to have her brother “Polynices” honorably buried. Sophocles structures the story around the scene of war, exploring the many challenges and themes that arise from human conflict.

Christopher freshman Elijah Lopez performs as “Haemon,” the son of “King Creon.” A 14-year-old, Lopez has prior experience in theater, with many musicals and school plays under his belt. This is his first “true” play, he said, referring to the drama’s theme centering around fighting for a person’s beliefs.

“Many different people can look at one situation and all of them see it from different perspectives,” he said.

Lopez believes this play is difficult because of the open aspect of the set, challenging the actors to portray their characters convincingly

“The set is very dynamic,” he said. “We have to have so many places being hinted at. It’s all these different places that we have to incorporate into one small box. I feel like how we were able to establish it was very well done.”

As Haemon, Lopez finds himself balancing the role of the general of the war as well as Antigone’s fiancé.

“I’m kind of the middleman trying to make peace between two sides that are bashing heads,” he said.

Lopez praised the dedication of the cast, crew, and Christopher’s drama program. During the final week leading up to opening night, the students stayed until 9 p.m. to finalize the show.

“I believe the cast and crew worked truly hard to bring this production to the people,” he said. “Everyone in this play is what brings it together. All the cast worked on this show including a lot more students just in the drama program in general, even if they’re not in the play. They came and worked and put in the hours to bring this together, so I think a lot of people should come and watch it.”

Photo by Keira Silver
Marino Najar-Rodreguez and Adriana Mireles are a part of the chorus in the Greek drama “Antigone” performed by the students in the Christopher High School Catamount Actors Theater progam.

Amelie Linzy is a 16-year-old sophomore who has been with the Catamount program for two years. She plays “Antigone,” a woman who faces many obstacles during her time with the soldiers.  As the lead character, Linzy faces many challenges. She had to be physically pushed around a lot while acting many of the more dramatic scenes.

“It’s hard because the main obstacle is just me learning how to act like I’m hurt in the safest way possible,” she said.

The message of the play is to follow through with what you believe is right, Linzy said. The themes also focus on family.

Greek plays are very easy to comprehend the identity of her character so she is able to understand her character’s motives and lines, she said.

“I can more easily connect to the character and enjoy my performance,” she said.

Sam Bloyer is a 17-year-old junior who has been with the program since his freshman year. He plays the character “Teiresias,” a blind prophet leading the king towards the right decision. He found it challenging to portray a man without sight, due to the aspect of looking around his fellow actors instead of directly at them.

“It’s a lot harder to act in the moment when you’re not looking at someone directly and trying to connect with them,” he said. “You have to focus on being out of focus.”

Bloyer explained the cast had to incorporate illuminating the first two plays in Sophocles sequence while additionally explaining the story of “Antigone.”

There was also a lot of set construction because of the more dynamic setup of the theater, he said.

Tragedies teach the audience important lessons in life, Bloyer said, describing why this ancient play is more serious in tone than most high school shows.

Bloyer feels his character “acts as a voice of reason.” Every word his character says has a truth or a moral in it.

“There’s no real reason to change my mindset,” he said. “Everything he’s saying I agree with.”

Lauren Perales serves as the executive producer for the play. The 17-year-old senior assists in making the decisions and manages the drama class. She plays “Creon,” the king. The character is usually played by a man, but in the text is referred to as a female due to a female actress. The title of King is still used, she said.

Perales felt challenged by the emotional shift her character experiences toward the end of the play. Creon goes from an antagonist to a person realizing her mistakes, she said.

As a graduating senior, Perales feels this play showcased the Catamount program’s effort and hard work. She is extremely proud of how “Antigone” turned out with the effort the cast and crew put into producing such an emotionally complex story.

“I want people to really understand what the drama program does,” she said. “I just want them to see how serious we do take our drama program and theater . . . It gives me closure. To be able to give something, my final present, to the community through this program, is really special to me.”

Danika Bargas has been with the theater program for three years. The 17-year-old senior has performed in plays before but is now behind-the-scenes as “Antigone’s” stage manager as well as the props master. She found a new leadership role in these positions.

“I love props,” she said. “I think it’s such a fun job, and I like adding that little aspect of the play that helps tell the story.”

Being a part of the Catamount program has impacted Bargas as a person, allowing her to mature as she discovers new aspects about herself and grows as a leader.

“It’s nice to have a new experience and learn more,” she said.

Keira Silver is a senior at Christopher High School. She wrote this story with mentorship from publisher Martin Cheek.