Antigone − Learning Guide
About This Guide ...... 1 Background Information...... 2 Teaching Information ...... 4 Production Notes Contextual Information ...... 6 Key Design Elements ...... 7 Performance Style ...... 11 Key Moments ...... 12 Plot Synopsis...... 13 Find Out More ...... 17
1 Antigone − Learning Guide
About
This learning guide supports the National Theatre’s production of Antigone, directed by Polly Findlay, which opened on May 30th 2012 at the National’s Olivier Theatre in London.
Our packs are designed to support viewing the recording on the National Theatre Collection. This pack provides links to the UK school curriculum and other productions in the Collection. It also has a plot synopsis with timecodes to allow you to jump to specific sections of the play.
Here you’ll also find all the information you need to enable you to study the production and write about it in detail. This includes notes about all of the key elements from performance style to design. You’ll also find pointers for further research.
1 Antigone − Learning Guide Background Information Recording Date – 4th July, 2012 Location – Olivier Theatre, National Theatre Age Recommendation – 14+ (some strong, bloody images)
Cast
Antigone ...... Jodie Whittaker Ismene ...... Annabel Scholey Chorus ...... Paul Bentall Chorus ...... Martin Chamberlain Chorus ...... Jason Cheater Chorus ...... Stavros Demetraki Chorus ...... Paul Dodds Chorus ...... Craige Els Chorus ...... Michael Grady-Hall Chorus ...... Tim Samuels Chorus ...... Ross Waiton Chorus ...... Alfred Enoch Creon, King of Thebes ...... Christopher Eccleston Teiresias, a blind prophet ...... Jamie Ballard Messenger...... Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Eurydice, Creon's Wife ...... Zoë Aldrich Soldier...... Luke Norris Haemon ...... Luke Newberry Boy ...... Trevor Imani Boy ...... Reuben Pearce Boy ...... Daniel Walsh Ensemble ...... Jo Dockery Ensemble ...... Emily Glenister
2 Antigone − Learning Guide Background Information Recording Date – 4th July, 2012 Location – Olivier Theatre, National Theatre Age Recommendation – 14+ (some strong, bloody images)
Musicians
Music Director / Percussion...... Philip Hopkins Percussion ...... Joji Hirota Woodwind ...... Tom Lessels
Creative Team Director ...... Polly Findlay Writer ...... Don Taylor Designer ...... Soutra Gilmour Movement Director ...... Aline David Lighting Designer ...... Mark Henderson Music and Sound Designer ...... Dan Jones Fight Director ...... Bret Yount Video and Projection Designer ...... Dick Straker
3 Antigone − Learning Guide Teaching Information
This production is particularly suitable for:
• Drama and theatre students studying Greek drama. • Anyone interested in re-imagined contemporary productions of classic plays. • Drama and theatre students studying Polly Findlay as a contemporary theatre practitioner.
In particular you might like to explore:
• The decision to move the action of the play from Ancient Greece to a modern European seat of power and how this affects a contemporary audience’s understanding of the play. • How the sound design works to support the storytelling and reflect the characters’ actions and emotions. • The role of the chorus in a contemporary production of a Greek tragedy. • Polly Findlay’s directorial vision and how this production compares to her other work, including her production of Treasure Island.
4 Antigone − Learning Guide Teaching Information
There are a number of other productions in the National Theatre Collection that relate to this one, which you and your students may wish to explore alongside it.
Productions of Greek drama
Production Date Adaptation/Playwright Director
Medea 2014 Ben Power/Euripides Carrie Cracknell
Other productions featuring members of the same creative team
Productions Artist Treasure Island Polly Findlay - Director
Les Blancs, Twelfth Night Soutra Gilmour - Designer
One Man Two Guvnors, Coriolanus Mark Henderson - Lighting Designer Treasure Island Dan Jones - Sound Designer
Romeo and Juliet Aline David - Movement Director Treasure Island Bret Yount - Fight Director
5 Antigone − Learning Guide Production Notes
The following notes have been compiled to help guide you through the significant design and performance aspects as you watch the production, or to remind you of them after you have watched it. You may also want to make your own notes and form your own opinions on the effectiveness of these aspects as you explore the production.
Contextual Information
You might like to explore some of the following to aid your understanding of the context of the production:
• Modern audiences watching this production may find the constant reference to the gods an unfamiliar concept – in the UK we no longer have such a strong political-religious connection. However, Bryony Lavery states that there are still parts of the world where religion does govern politics and therefore it is still a relevant idea.
• The opening sequence of the chorus and Creon watching a military strike on Thebes is reminiscent of a famous photograph called The Situation Room. It is of President Obama and Hilary Clinton (US Secretary of State), with military advisors and personnel watching the capture of Osama bin Laden in 2011. The photograph can be viewed here. A discussion of that event and photograph is available here. A comparative image from the show is below.
6 Antigone − Learning Guide Production Notes
Key Design Elements: Set
• The Olivier stage has a revolve which is utilised to aid swift transitions between locations.
• The main set has the appearance of a military operations room (it is the Palace War Room) with Creon’s office formed by glass walls upstage centre. Items of set include several desks and varied office chairs. Details of set dressing include angle-poise lamps, computer screens intercoms, cardboard archive boxes and telephones. Creon’s office also has a desk, with a pot plant and the back wall displays a large portrait, presumably of the King.
• At the beginning of the play the office action includes the chorus, and Creon, all gathering round a desk that is centre stage, watching a screen. They appear to be watching a military strike. This desk is moved to the side in other scenes.
• The war room has a sense of it being a bunker or underground room, with reinforced concrete walls. The colours are drab browns, greys and cream. It is a functional working environment. There are no comfortable areas.
Key Design Elements: Costume
• Antigone wears a blue-grey dress with a small pattern on it. It has a collar, is knee length, short-sleeved and is gathered at the waist with a fabric belt. She wears white ankle socks and brown lace-up shoes. This reminds us of Antigone’s youth, and perhaps lack of power in this military environment. After her arrest Antigone wears a plain brown, V-neck dress made of cotton, and ballet-style pump (that are taken off her). The thinness of the fabric makes her look vulnerable.
• Ismene wears a dusky pink silk blouse and burgundy skirt which sits just below the knee. She wears dark footwear.
• Creon wears a well-cut navy-blue suit.
• The Chorus all wear office wear shirts (often with rolled up sleeves), ties, smart trousers. Men of military rank wear uniforms with their insignia on the left breast pocket.
7 Antigone − Learning Guide Production Notes
• Soldiers all appear wearing dirty/distressed army fatigues and combat boots.
• Haemon wears brown slacks and a white open necked shirt.
• Eurydice wears a two-piece skirt suit in a light olive green, a white long-sleeved blouse and matching court shoes.
• Teiresias’s costume is dirty and distressed – a white singlet and khaki trousers tucked into black army boots.
8 Antigone − Learning Guide Production Notes
Key Design Elements: Lighting
• The overall appearance of the production is very dark.
• Shafts of light fall through the two gaps in the wall where Antigone and Ismene meet at the beginning of the play. Light is focused at face height to ensure the audience can see their faces but shadow and darkness is important to suggest their night time meeting, and the tension and danger involved.
• In the main set, a large number of lights (filament bulbs in glass globes) are suspended above the stage to provide a dim light and create the sense of a dark internal setting.
• The wash of light during the prayer to Dionysus becomes even colder. There are few light sources in the office that are functional by this point. The office light remains off until the discovery of Eurydice’s body.
• There are no special lighting effects in this production. However, the use of dim intensity lighting, and pockets of lighting created by spotlights or wide- focussed lights means that the lighting can create a sense of oppressive claustrophobia in places – it is like an underground bunker.
9 Antigone − Learning Guide Production Notes
Key Design Elements: Sound
• Recorded sound effects include the sound of helicopter blades – it is a war zone – and the opening of metal gates.
• Live musicians on percussion and piano create a soundscape particularly in the transitions. The percussive beats often mirror heartbeats (particularly rapid ones) which creates tension without being obtrusive. Woodwind instruments are also used in the live music at times.
• Whilst Creon talks to Haemon, there is a barely perceptible drone note played – it creates a sense of foreboding, and even discomfort for the audience.
• A tolling bell as Antigone talks to the chorus (55 mins in).
• The recorded sound of birdsong which indicates the arrival of Teiresias, as well as discordant noises and buzzing as if the electricity short circuits.
• Echoed military drum beats play as Creon exits the stage alone at the end of the play.
Key Design Elements: Wigs, Hair and Make-up
• All hair is worn in natural styles appropriate to the 1970s. Antigone wears her hair in a ponytail whilst Ismene wears hers loose.
• Teiresias is blind: his make-up is created with silicon and shows significant scarring across his skull. His hair is shaved.
• Creon enters the stage covered in blood (hands, arms and shirt) when he brings the body of Haemon on stage. Haemon is also covered in blood.
10 Antigone − Learning Guide Production Notes
Performance Style
• The nature of Greek tragedy is that there are often long speeches or monologues delivered by one actor, whilst the others look on. A declarative style is often used, and the Olivier Theatre’s amphitheatre design allows actors to use this too.
• Whilst those speeches occur, other actors either remain still, perform naturalistic stage business (such as working at a desk) or move in slow motion to create the sense of office movement without detracting audience attention away from the main speech.
• There are naturalistic moments such as Creon eating a sandwich, despite the formality of the longer speeches that take place.
• Notice that there is very little physical contact between any of the characters. Relationships and status are mostly communicated through vocal and facial expression. You may wish to see the proximity between Creon and his men during the play, they tend to keep a respectful distance from him. That is often a sign of power – to dominate an empty space.
11 Antigone − Learning Guide Production Notes
Key Moments
You might like to consider these key moments in particular when you are studying the production.
The play is divided into significant sections, and time stamps are as follows:
• Prologue: 0:00:00 – watching the air strike on Thebes.
• Scene 1: 0:01:45 – Ismene and Antigone outside the palace gates.
• Scene 2: 0:07:33 –The Palace war room.
• Scene 3: 0:10:00 – Creon summons the assembly.
• Scene 4: 0:15:35 – A soldier addresses Creon.
• Scene 5: 0:21:40 – The Chorus speak.
• Scene 6: 1:23:05 – Antigone argues with Creon, (Ismene arrives 0.32.00).
• Scene 7: 0:35:31 – The Chorus reflect on the curse.
• Scene 8: 0:37:15 – Creon speaks with Haemon.
• Scene 8: 0:37:15 – Antigone is arrested and brought to Creon.
• Scene 9: 0:50:28 – Creon condemns Antigone to death.
• Scene 10: 1:00:21 – Teiresias arrives, led by a boy. (The Chorus beg Creon for clemency 1:13:06).
• Scene 11: 1:15:34 – The Chorus delivers a prayer to Dionysus.
• Scene 12: 1:16:57 – A messenger reveals that Hemon is dead. Antigone’s death is also announced.
• Scene 13: 1:23:46 – Creon enters with Haemon’s body. Eurydice also takes her own life. END.
12 Antigone − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis With Timecodes
Don Taylor’s translation maintains the heightened language of Sophocles’ original, and this version changes very little of the original plot, while the setting alludes to a twentieth century war room.
Prologue: In a Thebes office, a group of workers gather round a small screen watching the conflict of the Civil War. They wince in horror at what they see.
Scene One (0:01:45): Two of Oedipus’ children, Antigone and Ismene, have a secret meeting outside the palace gates. Both of their brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, died leading opposite sides of Thebes' civil war. Creon, their uncle and the new king, has decreed that Eteocles will be given an honourable burial, while Polynices’ body will not be sanctified by holy rites and left unburied on the battlefield.
Antigone pleads with Ismene to help her steal Polynices’ body to give him a proper burial, but Ismene refuses to go against the decree. Antigone vows to go ahead with her plan, with or without Ismene’s help.
13 Antigone − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis With Timecodes
Scene Two (0:07:33): Inside the palace war room, the Chorus provide context to the story: both brothers were heroically killed, but Polynices’ foreign army fled following his death.
Scene Three (0:10:00): Creon summons an assembly, seeking the support of the people of Thebes. He decrees the authority of the State, and reiterates the policy that Polynices will not be buried and the sentence for breaking that law is death.
Scene Four (0:15:35): A terrified Soldier is brought before Creon. He brings news that the Polynices’ body has secretly been given funeral rites and a symbolic burial with a thin covering of earth, though no one knows who committed the crime. Furious, Creon orders the sentry to find the culprit or face death himself.
Scene Five (0:21:40): A member of the Chorus enters and praises the rule of law and the “miracle of man”.
Scene Six (0:23:05): The Soldier brings Antigone before Creon. She was caught performing ritual rites on Polynices and openly admits her guilt. She argues her actions are above Creon’s immoral law and she has no fear of death. Creon retorts that Antigone’s attitude demonstrates exactly why they need a rule of law, and, despite being her uncle, Creon must not let her get away with her crime and undermine the law. Antigone insists Thebes supports her but are scared to speak out against the king.
(0:32:00) Ismene is brought before Creon. The king saw her upset and assumed she was involved in the crime. Ismene tries to falsely confess, wishing to die with Antigone, but her sister stops her. Creon orders both of them to be imprisoned.
Scene Seven (0:35:31): The Chorus reflect on the curse that always follows the house of Oedipus: the former ruler of Thebes who inadvertently killed his father and wed his mother.
Scene Eight (0:37:15): Creon’s son, Haemon, enters. He pledges allegiance to his father despite being engaged to Antigone. However he slowly tries to persuade
14 Antigone − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis With Timecodes
Creon to spare Antigone, claiming there is great sympathy for her in Thebes. The discussion descends to bitter insults. When Creon threatens to execute Antigone in front of his son, Haemon leaves, vowing never to see Creon again.
Creon declares he will spare Ismene but bury Antigone alive in a cave with minimal food.
Scene Nine (0:50:28): Heavily guarded, Antigone is brought in. She is searched, examined by a doctor and photographed for a mug shot. The Chorus offer her sympathy, but she accuses them of mocking her.
(0:55:57) Creon enters informing Antigone of her fate and saying the State will hold no guilt for her death. She insists she broke no moral law and is dragged away claiming she is the last of the royal blood and will die maintaining her justice and humanity.
15 Antigone − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis With Timecodes
Scene Ten (1:00:21): Creon suddenly hears birds chirping loudly. Lights begin flickering violently and strange noises are heard. Teiresias, the blind prophet, enters, led by a Boy. He tells Creon that the gods are displeased and Polynices should be urgently buried. The king accuses the prophet of being corrupt. Teiresias implores Creon to change his mind, declaring he will lose a child for his mistake and all of Greece will despise the king. He leaves.
(1:13:06) The Chorus beg Creon to listen to Teiresias. He yields, and leaves to free Antigone.
Scene Eleven (1:15:34): The Chorus deliver a prayer to the god Dionysus.
Scene Twelve (1:16:57): A Messenger enters with news that Haemon has killed himself. Eurydice, Creon’s wife, enters, demanding to know what happened. The Messenger reports that when Creon arrived at Antigone's cave, he found Haemon lamenting over Antigone, who had hanged herself. After unsuccessfully attempting to stab Creon, Haemon turned the blade on himself. As the Messenger finishes, Eurydice exits.
Scene Thirteen (1:23:46): Creon enters with the bloody body of Haemon. He accepts responsibility for his son’s death. The Messenger re-enters with news that Eurydice has also killed herself, cursing Creon with her final breath. Creon blames himself for everything and leaves, a broken man, saying he “should be dead”. The Chorus reflect on the power of the law, but conclude the gods will always have final judgement.
The End
16 Antigone − Learning Guide
Find out more
Read
The Rehearsal Insights Pack, featuring the rehearsal diary from this production, written by Staff Director Drew Mulligan
Watch
Antigone: An Introduction
Heightened Language
Creon and Haemon
Family versus State
Religion and Modern Context
General Greek Theatre content:
An Introduction to Greek Theatre
An Introduction to Greek Tragedy
The Ancient Greek Chorus
Modern Interpretations of Greek Chorus
Creating Chorus: Leading Exercise
Creating Chorus: Building Choreography
17 Antigone − Learning Guide
Find out more
Creating Chorus: Pace Exercise
An Introduction to Greek Comedy and Satyr Drama
Women of Troy (2007) Stage Design
Explore
The National Theatre’s digital exhibitions on Google Arts & Culture, including Greek Tragedy at the National Theatre.
More materials relating to the production including the costume bible, poster, prompt scripts, programme, stage management reports and more are held at the National Theatre Archive, which is free to visit. Find out more here: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/archive
Suggestions for Further Activity
• Research other modern transpositions of Antigone. How have those versions highlighted particular aspects of the text in terms of theme and character? Are there any that surprise you?
• Visit the NT Archive to view material from other Greek tragedies. This could include Peter Hall’s Oresteia, which was designed by Jocelyn Herbert. The Jocelyn Herbert Archive website. The archive itself is located within the NT Archive. Look too at Katie Mitchell’s production of Women of Troy to consider how directors’ own working methods and vision have a strong impact on the style of a production.
18 Antigone − Learning Guide
Find out more
Suggestions for Further Research
• Polly Findlay and Dan Jones (Sound Designer) also worked together on Treasure Island. Watch that production and research the work of these two practitioners.
• The make-up that Teiresias has is an important element of his character. Use the NT Archive to research this and other productions where make up and prosthetics are important. This could include The Creature in Frankenstein and the various make up elements in Treasure Island.
We hope that you have enjoyed watching and studying Antigone. Don't forget that there are many more fantastic productions to explore as part of the NT Collection. We hope that watching this recorded production has made you feel inspired to see and make live theatre. Why not find out what’s happening at your local theatre and how you can get involved?
This guide to support your viewing of the production was compiled by Teacher and Arts Education Consultant Susie Ferguson.
If you have any comments or feedback on our resources please contact us: [email protected]
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