By Olivia Piepmeier, Special to the Standard
A troupe of nine BarnArts actors are exploring bravery, integrity, and love through contemporary poet Anne Carson’s translation of “Antigone,” written by Sophokles around 440 BCE. Director Erin Bennett leans into the brightness that is often overlooked in tragedies and stages the production with the pluck and vigor of a group of scrappy street performers, who open the show with a tapestry of juggling, singing, and movement.
“Antigone” runs Feb. 14-15 and 20-22 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. at Barnard Town Hall. Tickets, $20 for adults and $15 for students can be purchased ahead of time at barnarts.org.
The place is Thebes. The time is long ago (or is it?). A bitter war results in the death of two royal brothers. The newly crowned King Kreon decrees only one will be buried. Unshakable Antigone, hearing a deeper truth, disagrees. And a chain of events unfold that challenge and change all in the vicinity of this famously troubled family. (Antigone is the daughter of the infamous Freudian eye-gouger, Oedipus.)
Anne Carson’s text focuses simply on the persistent truths of justice and honor found in “Antigone” that have captivated audiences from varying backgrounds for thousands of years. “Catholics have been known to love it, but so have Anarchists, Libertarians, Marxists, and poets of all time,” says actor Aaron Michael Hodge (Haimon).
Carson, a poet and Classicist, published two translations of Sophokles’ tragedy, one in 2012 titled “Antigonick,” and the 2015 translation titled “Antigone” used in the BarnArts production. With slight differences between the text, the latter was written for the Belgian director Ivo van Hove and published in a more acting-friendly format.
Director Erin Bennett encountered the script while researching for her thesis in Dartmouth’s Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program. “The language completely floored me; I read the script over and over when I should have been writing,” says Bennett. “[The script] is so full of humor, humanity, and poetry.”
The “Antigone” cast in costume. Back row, from left: Kyle Huck, Laura Montgomery, Kevin Donohue, Aaron Michael Hodge, Dory Psomas, and Fergus Ryan; Front row: Julianne Borger, Bridgette Hammond, and Olivia Piepmeier. Alex Montaño Photos
The cast and crew were immediately struck by the contemporary, snappy language Carson uses to tell this ancient tale. Kevin Donohue (Kreon), a Dartmouth Classics graduate, finds the translation “fresh, idiomatic, and modern, and still so dedicated to the source material. She’s a classicist and a poet and combines the two beautifully here. She recognizes how absolutely modern and relevant the classics are, and her translation services this so well.” Bridgette Hammond (Antigone) notes how “each word is powerful and meaningful, which is both a joy and a challenge as an actor because there are no throwaway lines, nowhere to hide — you have to give each word its due.”
Bennett is taking this unique translation into even more extraordinary waters with artistic direction that is bright and playful, despite the serious topics covered in the words. “Grief and tragedy are not relegated to the shadows. Loss, delight, celebration, loneliness, are all mixed up together. Antigone is willing to die for what’s right, even when all the beauty of living is at her fingertips. I want the audience to see that the world she would leave behind is imperfect, sometimes violent, but there is still music, dancing, and love.”
Rehearsals began with Bennett asking the cast about various talents they have. The next rehearsal there was a box of kazoos, a ukulele, a tambourine, and plans for original music with the help of BarnArts music director Carol Cronce and her husband, Neal. Costumes, designed by August Doughty, are an integral part of Bennett’s vision of contemporary but timeless, vivid, and a bit messy like any scrappy gang of street performers would have.
Left, Bridgette Hammond (Antigone), Laura Montgomery (Eurydike), and Kevin Donohue (Kreon) inhabit three very different characters in the opening tableau for “Antigone.” Right, actors rehearse the prologue fight scene establishing the pre-story chaos of Thebes. Alex Montaño Photos
BarnArts Executive Director Linda Treash felt confident in Bennett’s vision and passion for the text. “I have worked with Erin since she was on the production team that helped me stage ‘Waiting for Godot’ as my directorial debut in 2019,” says Treash. “And then I had the pleasure of directing her as Stella in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ (2022) and acting with her in ‘The Good Doctor’ (2023) and in the stage reading tour of ‘It Can’t’ Happen Here’ (2020). When I knew she had finished her masters, I went right to her and asked her if she finally had time to direct a show! She has deep hands-on theater experience as well as academic study and a pure love of theater that shines like light from her enthusiastic and kind face.”
The cast is stacked with BarnArts regulars, with the important exception of the title character, portrayed by newcomer Bridgette Hammond (Antigone). “It’s a tight-knit community that at the same time has been so welcoming,” shares Hammond, who brings with her to the BarnArts stage much experience from a decade of dance and theatre troupes in Chicago.
Leading the cast of BarnArts regulars is “Haimon,” Aaron Michael Hodge (11 BarnArts shows since 2015); “Messenger,” Dory Psomas (six shows since 2017); “Guard,” Olivia Piepmeier (five shows since 2023); “Teiresias,” Kyle Huck (four shows since 2022); “Kreon,” Kevin Donohue (four shows since 2023); “Polyneikes,” Fergus Ryan (three shows since 2024); “Ismene,” Julianne Borger (two shows since 2024); and “Eurydike,” Laura Montgomery (two shows since 2024).
Borger’s feelings about BarnArts reflect what many of the cast members feel, that the organization “has reinvigorated the high school theater kid within. I’ve learned so much from the directors, production team members, and my fellow actors.”
Also supporting Bennett’s vision is Set Designer and Producer, Linda Treash. Corey Doughty is the Lighting Designer. Eben Farinas serves as the Master Carpenter.
For more information on this production and BarnArts, contact info@barnarts.org, leave a message at 802-234-1645, or visit barnarts.org.
Olivia Piepmeier is the Communications & Project Manager for BarnArts Center for the Arts.