FOREWORD RICHARD HUNTER REGIUS PROFESSOR OF GREEK

Sophocles’ Antigone, originally its importance for the very idea performed perhaps in around of what tragedy is. 440 bc, is one of the best known of all Greek plays: regularly Obedience and submissiveness performed, translated and also lie at the heart of filmed, it stands as an enduring Aristophanes’ Lysistrata (411 bc), monument to the power of or rather very obviously do not. the Greek tragic idea. One The central character, whose of the sources of that power name translates as ‘Disbander is its brutal simplicity: Creon’s of Armies’, persuades the fatal order not to offer funeral women of the warring Greek rites to Polyneices, who had cities not to have sex with led an Argive army against his their husbands until they make own city of Thebes, sets off a peace; at the same time, the chain reaction of unavoidable women of Athens seize control disaster. The Antigone has very of the Acropolis and hence often been interpreted and of the city’s finances. This play performed as a dramatization too is often interpreted and of the fact that there are times performed as an anti-war when an individual should play and/or a play about stand up for higher ideals, female empowerment, but the what Antigone calls ‘unwritten remarkable central character laws’, rather than the mere will is in fact very different from of the government, whether the women around her: in that government be a Theban some ways, she is a comic and tyrant or the Nazis in Germany. human embodiment of Athena, Part of the fascination of the goddess who saves the city the play, however, is the from the folly of its male citizens. complexity of the emotional storm which Creon’s apparently The pairing of these two simple order unleashes. The famous plays is itself, we public and the private cannot hope, a demonstration of be separated, particularly why Greek drama still matters when the antagonists are a to us. The place of women domineering man and an in society remains a matter unmarried woman, from whom of fundamental struggle all obedience and submissiveness over the world. As for male are expected. The foreboding rashness and folly in public and sense of impending life…Aristophanes would have disaster which hangs over the written a very funny play about play makes it comparable to Brexit. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King in

1 ANTIGONE LYSISTRATA Characters for her brother and her respect for religion. Characters Chorus: The Chorus of Men try to smoke Antigone, daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta Creon sentences her to death. Lysistrata, an Athenian woman the women out of the Acropolis. Ismene, Antigone’s sister Calonice, a neighbour of Lysistrata Chorus of Theban citizens Chorus: The Chorus sing of the terrifying Myrrhine, an Athenian woman Chorus: The Chorus of Women, led by Creon, Antigone’s uncle and ruler of Thebes power of the gods and of Zeus’s Stratyllis, an older Athenian woman Stratyllis, put the fire out. Guard unbreakable law. Lampito, a Spartan woman Haemon, son of Creon and Eurydice Chorus of Women Episode: The Magistrate orders the men Teiresias, the blind prophet Episode: Haemon, Creon’s son and Chorus of Men to take back the Acropolis. Lysistrata Messenger Antigone’s intended husband, tries to Magistrate of Athens challenges him, and a fight breaks Eurydice, Creon’s wife persuade his father to change his mind, Cinesias, husband of Myrrhine out. After the women defeat the men, but Creon refuses to listen. Haemon leaves, Messenger from the men of Sparta Lysistrata explains why they have gone on Background: swearing never to forgive him. Spartans strike. The Magistrate is humiliated and sent Thebes, in the aftermath of a devastating off. civil war. Following the death of Oedipus, Chorus: The Chorus sing of the destructive Background his sons, Polyneices and Eteocles, fight power of love. Athens has been at war with Sparta for Chorus: The Chorus of Men strip for action. for power, eventually killing each other in 20 years and has recently suffered a Kommos: Antigone laments the injustice of single combat. They are survived by their major defeat in Sicily. (Lysistrata was first Episode: Several women try to desert, her coming ‘marriage’ to death, while the sisters, Antigone and Ismene. performed in 411 BC. The Peloponnesian desperate for sex. Chorus insist it is self-inflicted. Creon cuts War, which tore the states of Greece them short; Antigone is led off, insisting that The succession passes to Oedipus’s brother apart, had begun in 431 and would end Episode: Cinesias arrives and begs to she has broken no divine law. Creon. He ordains full funeral honours for with Athens’ defeat in 404. The ‘Sicilian see his wife, Myrrhine. On Lysistrata’s Eteocles, but decrees that Polyneices - Episode: The blind Teiresias warns Creon expedition’ of 415–413 had resulted in instructions, Myrrhine gets Cinesias to whose invasion of Thebes had triggered huge Athenian losses.) agree to seek peace terms, and agrees to the war - be denied burial rites. that executing Antigone will cause his own destruction. Creon dismisses him as a false have sex with him - but disappears when prophet, but when the Chorus urge him to Synopsis the moment comes. Synopsis: Prologue: Athens, near the Acropolis. With Episode: Antigone brings Ismene to the reconsider, he begins to question his own plenty of innuendo (this is Aristophanes), Episode: A Spartan Messenger arrives, edge of the city and asks her to help bury judgment. Creon rushes out, hoping to Lysistrata explains to Calonice that she asking the Athenians to agree peace Polyneices. Ismene refuses to go against prevent Antigone’s death. has summoned the women of Athens and terms and so make the women end their Creon’s decree. Chorus: The Chorus pray to Dionysus for Sparta to a meeting. sex-strike. Chorus’s entrance: The Chorus sing of deliverance from this new horror. Chorus: The Chorus of Women make the civil war and of Polyneices’s betrayal, Episode: The other women arrive and celebrating victory and the onset of Episode: A Messenger arrives and tells Lysistrata explains her plan: they will all overtures to the Chorus of Men, and they peace. the Chorus and Eurydice, Creon’s wife, refuse to have sex until the men agree come together. what has taken place: Creon reached the on terms to end the war. Despite initial Episode: Creon condemns Polyneices and tomb to find that Antigone had already reluctance, she convinces the women to Episode: The Spartans arrive and peace anyone who seeks to bury him in defiance hanged herself; Haemon, overcome with take an oath of abstinence. News comes terms are agreed on a large map. of the city’s laws. The Guard reports that grief, tried to attack Creon before falling that the Chorus of Women have taken someone has attempted a burial. Creon on his own sword. Hearing this news of her over the Acropolis, cutting the men off Final sequence: The men and women of sends him to find out who is guilty of such son’s death, Eurydice goes silently into the from the war chest. Lysistrata and co set Athens and Sparta celebrate the peace disobedience. palace. out to join them. and the resumption of normal service.

Chorus: The Chorus sing of man’s achievements Final sequence: Creon enters carrying over the natural and divine world. Haemon’s body and grieving for his son. But his suffering has not ended: the Episode: The Guard returns with Antigone, Messenger reports that Eurydice has whom he found attempting to bury the committed suicide, with a curse against body. Creon confronts her and Ismene. her husband on her lips. Creon is left Antigone is unrepentant, citing her love devastated and alone. The Chorus lead him off.

2 3 GREEK PLAY MEMORIES ARISTOPHANES AND FEMINISM? Aristophanes’ Lysistrata takes as its VANESSA LACEY theme the idea that women and men TIM WHITMARSH have different identities and different ARCHIVIST, CAMBRIDGE GREEK PLAY perspectives on the world. The men, A G LEVENTIS PROFESSOR OF GREEK CULTURE the Greek play tradition - a dedicated Lysistrata observes in the opening scene, never forget that this is a play written by a copy of The Wisdom of Sophocles by J T have stuffed up the international politics, man, acted by men, and performed for Sheppard, later Sir John Sheppard, Provost leading the city of Athens (and the whole an audience that consisted (largely, or of King’s College.” Sheppard, who played of Greece) into a disastrous war. (She has even entirely) of men. That said, the men Peithetairos in Birds (1903), also directed a point: the play was premiered in 411 are portrayed just as foolishly, no one more the first Cambridge Greek play, Antigone, BCE, in the aftermath of the Athenians’ in 1939. (An Antigone had already been than the overbearing magistrate who staged - as a double bill with Lysistrata, in failed attempt to capture Sicily, a harangues them, and whose attempts to Each Cambridge Greek play has only a desperate attempt to generate new silence them with sexist abuse fare very brief life onstage, but happily all have a fact - by the Cambridge Festival Theatre resources.) It is up to the women, then, to badly. What is more, Lysistrata (apparently far longer existence in the memories of of Terence Grey in 1931.) Ronald Millar, sort things out. The women band together the cast. We asked the last Antigone and who played Creon in that production, half-modelled on a real woman, an Lysistrata to share their reminiscences. remembered his challenge to the cast: and occupy the Acropolis, the sacred and influential priestess of Athena called “Ninety-five per cent of the audience civic heart of the city. The famous sex strike Lysimache) is depicted as an impressively The most recent Cambridge Antigone won’t understand a word you’re saying… is conceived so as to exert pressure on the rounded, thoughtful and multi-dimensional. was in 1959, directed by Alan Ker. The You have to get across the essence of men, but it is also a symbolic expression production was fraught with difficulties what you’re saying by the sheer intensity of of the splitting off of the women from during the final week of rehearsals, when your performance.” That there was, in ‘real’ history, no the national flu epidemic struck down the the menfolk. One regular Greek word for women’s movement in Athens makes carpenter and painter, both wardrobe Although Greek comedies had been a having sex (syneinai) literally means ‘be the play in one sense even more feature of the Cambridge Greek play mistresses and five members of the chorus. together with’. Not having sex, then, is interesting. It is testimony, for one thing, The composer, Peter Tranchell, recalled tradition from the start, Lysistrata wasn’t being apart. This sense of the separateness performed until 1986. By then, it was to the playwright’s powers of invention. It scenery being painted overnight after of the two communities is represented also exemplifies something of the social the first dress rehearsal and a “desperate possible to create a production that was lively, fun and bawdy - and the cast even dramatically by the division of the chorus function of theatre in Athens. That function search for two tenor trombones” at the last into two semi-choruses, one female and minute. included real women. It was radical, was not simply to reinforce the cohesion of too, the creation of a director (Kostis one male; it is not until the final scene that the city by feeding them with conservative Isabel Raphael played Antigone: “This was Leivadeas) with a background in modern they reunite into the regular single chorus propaganda; it was to exploit the fictive a revolutionary production: the traditional Greek drama rather than ancient Greek of Athenian drama. possibilities of the stage to create new, literature. Caroline Tuckwell, who played classical white chitons and columns imaginative ways of seeing the world. For were abandoned, and we appeared Lysistrata, remembers the emphasis on In modern adaptations, this presentation of against a background of buildings copied making the drama real to the audience: sure, the women return to their houses at from Cnossos, and wearing costumes “Instead of reciting the lines in iambic women demanding and getting their own the end of the play - but that is because designed from the frescoes there. We trimeters, we were encouraged to speak separate identity is often associated with the end of the play marks the transition, were taken back to the world of pre- them normally. I liked that approach. We feminism. Tony Harrison’s The Common for the audience, from the fictional world classical mythology, a daring concept needed to make this play as accessible Chorus relocated the play to the 1980s of the play back to real life, where women that hasn’t, I believe, been attempted as possible: and even if the audience anti-nuclear peace camp on Greenham were expected to be subordinates. It is since. I remember the gasps of surprise couldn’t understand what we were Common. Spike Lee’s 2015 film Chi-Raq the part that comes beforehand that saying, they would, I hoped, be able to when the curtains went back - as well as was set in Chicago’s South Side, and was generates the real intellectual power of those irritating points of light from torches pick up the mood from our intonation and inspired by Leymah Roberta Gbowee, the as scholars followed the text. No surtitles in emphasis.” the play: a brilliantly conceived adventure those days. Liberian feminist peace activist. Ancient into an alternative reality, in which women The hard work was offset by lighter Greece, however, had no feminism. not only have the power, but wield it (for “We women wore brilliantly coloured moments: “We had a lot of fun performing As a result, the play has often seemed the most part) wisely and effectively. dresses, with large sequins glued on to Lysistrata. It is a pretty bawdy play and the to modern spectators ambiguous in director made the most of that in the props flounced skirts and flesh-coloured modesty its feminism: not only are the women vests over our bosoms. Haemon was and costumes. The audience laughed a lot stunning in a turquoise loincloth and an - and there were times when the cast did represented as obsessed with sex and drink ostrich feather headdress like the famous too. On the final night, rather than putting (playing to a crude stereotype), but also frescoed ‘priest king’, and everyone wore water in the various jugs and amphorae at the end of the play when their work is dramatic make-up and long curly wigs. It for the party scene at the end, someone done they return, rather too submissively was all hugely enjoyable!” saw fit to fill them with strong Greek wine. I to our eyes, to their households and to the recall taking a large glug and choking on jurisdiction of their husbands. We should One of Isabel’s most potent memories the contents before managing to splutter is a connection to the earliest Greek out the final lines of the play. I like to think plays: “I cherish a strange personal link in Aristophanes would have approved.”

4 5 INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR HELEN EASTMAN moments in which they were written - and yet they speak across time to so many issues facing us in the world today. My aim is to create a space in which people can be both entertained and challenged.

I also hope the combination of the plays will pose some challenging questions about each of them, and about the relationship between tragedy and comedy - two very different but This is your third Cambridge Greek play. close to explosion with trying to process complementary ways to look at the world How has your approach evolved? the language and the dramaturgy, and around us. trying to ride the students into increasingly On the first day of rehearsals this year, I complicated dance routines. And it’s What’s the point of performing a play in Why Antigone and Lysistrata as a double suddenly remembered what an enormous important to remember that a lot of the ancient Greek? bill? mountain it is to climb to put on two plays actors come into it not knowing any in ancient Greek, and I had a moment of Greek: we have to find a creative, fun, It’s important to say we’re not attempting Antigone is a woman who challenges thinking, “My God, why on earth did I put challenging way for them to engage any sort of historical reconstruction or trying authority, and does it on her own. She myself through this for a third time?!” with the plays, alongside learning the to show how the plays would have been ends up dead - it’s a tragedy. language. But we’ve developed a lot of produced in the fifth century. That’s not Some of the challenges are new. This is the tricks for rehearsing in another language something I think we can achieve, and it’s Lysistrata is a woman who challenges first time I’ve worked with Sophocles, and and making that process work. certainly not the point for me. authority, and gets all the other women to he’s a very different beast to Aeschylus: join in. Collectively they take action, and lots of the things that we found worked Third time round, I’m pretty sure that at The point is rather to hear these plays in they succeed - it’s a comedy. before have had to go out of the window. some point we’ll emerge from the darkness their original language, because ancient into the light. Greek sounds extraordinary. Greek I’m interested in how those two plays Others are the same: there’s a point in the dramatists used a huge range of metres sit alongside each other and make an middle of the process where your brain is - something that doesn’t really happen evening of entertainment. And there are in any other period of verse drama - to some lovely echoes between them. sculpt their plays tonally and emotionally. Performing those plays in the original What’s the most challenging thing about completely changes the way the actors directing this production? engage with the text: the sounds and the rhythms engage with the voice and the It’s in Greek. whole body. That’s a daily challenge, in so many ways. In a nutshell, I think it’s amazing to have the opportunity to work on these plays in Antigone and Lysistrata are also two of the original Greek and for people to hear the most performed plays in the history them performed this way. of theatre, and it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by their reception history What do you want the audience to take and their iconic role in culture. Sometimes away from the production? it’s quite hard to cut through all the baggage attached to them and come These are two extraordinary plays and I back to the texts. want the audience to go away feeling as passionate about that as I do. They’re not And it’s really hard to make Aristophanes timeless, because there are many things funny. about them that are very specific to the 6 7 MEET THE COMPOSER CHRISTOPHER WHITTON IN CONVERSATION WITH COMPOSER ALEX SILVERMAN.

How would you encapsulate your role in scribble down other bits to add in. That the production? makes it quite a frantic process, but it’s essential. My job is putting live music into shows. I’ve worked on a wide variety of them, but the Is there a big difference in the way you aim is always to use live music to get the approach a tragedy and a comedy? audience involved in a vivid story. Yes and no! The essential job is the same: What’s special about doing a Cambridge to help with tone, pace, and focus, filling Greek play? out the picture for the audience. And in this instance we’ll be using the same band For me personally, it’s fantastic to come for both shows, so the challenge has been back to Cambridge, and to continue to put together an ensemble which has the journey I started as a Classics a broad enough range to cope with the undergraduate nearly 20 years ago. I bleaker moments of Antigone and the knew no Greek before I came here, so more raucous elements of Lysistrata. I’ll it was those years of study that gave me be using some different tools in the two my first introduction to some things I’m plays - folk references and music that can still passionate about as a musician – the unfold over longer periods in the tragedy, verse, the rhythms, the organisation of whereas the comedy will contain more ideas. Greek plays contain wonderful contemporary and pastiched ideas combinations of rhythms which we’re not crammed into a smaller space - but used to in modern western verse or drama. working hard to tie the shows together as These can have a profound physical effect one evening of entertainment. on the rate at which an actor can deliver the lines and ideas, and are a wonderful What should we look out for in the sound- building block for a composer trying to world you’ve created for this show? make new sounds and tell stories. As usual there’ll be plenty of singing, How do you go about composing? not just from the hard-working Antigone chorus, but also from the protagonists and The verse-rhythms are the first thing to even an occasional ghostly murmur from go on the page. But in other respects off-stage. Texturally we’ve got smooth the score, in my way of working, has to strings at the heart of this score, and a respond to the performers as rehearsals prominent role for the beatiful, angular, progress. I work just a few days ahead of soprano saxophone – a strong voice in what’s going on in the rehearsal room. the female vocal register that can play The score mushrooms as we try things out the whole range of emotions – as well as and see if they work. The performers are plenty of noisy percussion. I won’t spoil the cast not just on the basis of what they can surprise for you, but the most interesting do at audition, but how we think they’ll moment might be the appearance of develop during seven weeks of rehearsing. Teiresias. He’s a fascinating character, And excitingly, some will develop in ways bold, ambiguous, and highly suggestive. neither I nor they could have predicted Let’s just say we’ve had a lot of fun at first. So in every single project I have to working on how that scene is going to scrap some music when a scene doesn’t sound … quite work in the final rehearsals, and

8 9 theatre, most recently in Lady Joe Sefton is in his second year 2015 Footlights pantomimes Windermere’s Fan, and film (Are studying English and drama with (ADC). He is the writer behind You Popular?), and he looks education at Homerton College. Kenneth Watton’s Bedtime Chat forward to the opportunities of His most recent work includes: Show, a trilogy of absurd comic CAST next year. the title role in Hamlet at the plays (Corpus Playroom), and has Alan Bowman graduated from Italian Society’s production of acting credits include: Claudio in Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Other written and performed in several Cambridge with a first in Physics Pirandello’s The Man, the Beast Measure for Measure (Cambridge Nathaniel Hess is embarking on roles include: Ted/Charlotte/ sketch shows, including Minky, in 2014, and has since pursued and the Virtue. He feels a great Arts Theatre); Sweeney Todd his third year of reading Classics Dan Wasted (Edinburgh Fringe); which ran at the Edinburgh Fringe conducting as his career. He passion for the classical world and in Sweeney Todd: the Demon at Trinity College. Trained to sing Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost this summer. recently won the Cambridge an interest in theatre. Barber of Fleet Street, Toby Belch from a young age as a chorister in (Caius College); Proteus in The Graduate Orchestra Conducting in Twelfth Night and Flo Inkwell New College Choir, his theatrical Two Gentlemen of Verona and Vicky Vanderstichele is a second- Competition and was chorus Joanna Clarke has recently in The Emperor’s New Clothes activities have largely burgeoned Woyzeck in Woyzeck (Selwyn year classicist at Queens’ College. master for a production of La graduated with a BA in History from (CUADC/Footlights pantomime, more recently. He has in particular College); Judas in Godspell Her deep passion for ancient bohème in London. Alan is office Queens’ College. Previous credits 2014); Collins in Rent, Clyde developed something of a niche (Magdalene College); Abhorson in Greek theatre combined with a manager at the Academy of include: Grace in Madwomen Gabriel in The Witches of Eastwick in playing religious figures in avant- Measure for Measure (Cambridge love of the Greek language has Ancient Music and runs his own in the Attic (C nova, Edinburgh and Glendower in Henry IV (all garde 20th-century theatre, Arts Theatre); Turai in The Play’s made her inordinately excited orchestra. Previous musical Festival Fringe); Wendla in Spring at the ADC Theatre); Chorus in having played Second God and the Thing (Pembroke New Cellars) about the Cambridge Greek direction credits include: The Awakening (ADC Theatre); Paul Bunyan (Wales Millennium Pope Urban VIII in Brecht’s The and Meshak in Coram Boy (ADC). play. Having dabbled in acting at Pirates of Penzance (West Road Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd: Centre) and performer and writer Good Soul of Szechuan and Life Joe is also a general executive school and university, the highlight Concert Hall); Lost (Fitzwilliam the Demon Barber of Fleet Street for Footlights Presents: Xylophone of Galileo respectively, and the member of the Marlowe Society. of Vicky’s nascent career was Museum) and HMS Pinafore (ADC Theatre); Adriana in The (ADC); The Freshers’ Sketch Show priest in Antonin Artaud’s Spurt of winning a Greek verse reading (Minack Theatre, Cornwall). Comedy of Errors (venues across (Corpus Playroom) and Switch: a Blood. He adds to this a film credit, Kaiti Soultana is a finalist reading competition. Alongside reciting Japan and the Corpus Playroom) Sketch Show (Edinburgh Fringe). appearing as the Psychologist management at Homerton. ancient Greek, Vicky enjoys Zephyr Brüggen was born in and Elizabeth in The Crucible in Johnny King’s feature-length While at Cambridge, she has experimenting with drawing and Amsterdam and raised between (Fitzwilliam College). Joanna is Orlando Gibbs is currently studying surrealist epic, Susanne. appeared in The Comedy of Errors painting, and enthusiastically there and a Tuscan hill. She has looking forward to postponing her for an MPhil in Classics at Homerton (Pembroke Players Japan tour, plays lacrosse. now traded the continent for entry into graduate life by learning College. Previous credits include: Edward Reeve is the senior organ 2015) and Measure for Measure King’s College, Cambridge, where some ancient Greek instead. Henry V (Cambridge Arts Theatre); scholar at Queens’ College, where (the Marlowe Arts Show, 2016) Caitlin Walsh is starting her she is reading Classics and sings in CUADC/Footlights pantomime, he is in his final year studying music. and has directed a further three second year of studying Classics the college’s mixed choir, King’s Matthew Coote, a second-year 2015: Robin Hood and CUADC/ He is a pianist, organist, conductor shows: Road (ADC Theatre); The at Cambridge, and is pleased to Voices. Previous theatre projects classicist at Gonville and Caius Footlights pantomime, 2014: The and singer, and performs widely Quick and the Damned (Corpus being playing a part in proving in Cambridge have included College, drew his dramatic Emperor’s New Clothes (ADC throughout the university and Playroom) and WASTED (Corpus that the ‘dead’ languages she playing prostitutes in pieces by experience from annual school Theatre); Who Am I? (Corpus beyond as a soloist, accompanist Playroom). Before university, stage studies can continue to affect us Brecht, Wedekind and Artaud. The musicals, which, in combination Playroom) and Floss: a Sketch and occasional opera conductor. appearances included: King Lear today. Her involvement in student week after the Greek play, she with an academic year of intensive Show (Free Festival, Edinburgh As assistant musical director of (the Warehouse); Female Transport theatre has largely been through is directing Peter Handke’s anti- immersion in ancient Greek, has Fringe). As a member of the the Greek play, he is delighted (the Galleries of Justice); 4.48 stage management (Trojan Barbie, play Offending the Audience. She (miraculously?) made him eligible Footlights, Orlando writes and to combine his passion for these Psychosis (Nottingham Playhouse) Peter Grimes, West Side Story and also cares a lot about politics and to participate in the triennial performs sketches in fortnightly things with a secret craving for a and The Hot L Baltimore and Mnemonic at the ADC Theatre), Beyoncé feminism, so the double Greek play. This opportunity is one Smoker at the ADC. classical education. Vera Vera Vera (the Basement). though she has also enjoyed a role bill of Antigone and Lysistrata is a for which he is grateful. She was trained at the Television as Edith in The Pirates of Penzance. beautiful synthesis of all her interests. Jack Hawkins is a third-year Amber Reeves-Pigott is in her Workshop and is a member of the Caitlin sings with Magdalene classicist and choral scholar at second year reading English at National Youth Theatre. College Chapel Choir and the Evie Butcher is a third-year classicist Natasha Cutler is a third-year St John’s College. He was lucky St Catharine’s College. She has Magdalene Consort. at Sidney Sussex College. She had history student at Cambridge. to sing at Covent Garden as a aspirations to pursue opera, and Rosanna Suppa is a student at always hoped that her time in Acting credits include Buttercup treble, in productions including A sings in St Catharine’s College Queens’ College, studying natural Hollie Witton is in her second year Cambridge would involve a Greek in HMS Pinafore, the Queen of Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hänsel Choir. Previous credits include: sciences. at Homerton College reading play, since her small claim to fame Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, und Gretel and Tannhäuser. Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night education with English and drama. is a brief stint on TV in the BBC’s President of the Saturnians in Since coming to Cambridge, he Music, title role in Iolanthe and Stanley Thomas is about to start his Previous Cambridge acting credits A Waste of Shame, alongside Saturnalia, and the Spirit in The has sung in the CUOS main show Hillary Clinton in Trump’d. second year studying Classics at include: Miss Furnival in Black the Greek play’s very own Tom Spirit of the Place. She studied Eugene Onegin and directed Selwyn. Previous roles include: Gerry Comedy (ADC); Actor in Love and Hiddleston. Hoping to follow in his flute at the Junior Guildhall School two operas, also for CUOS, Così Saskia Ross is reading human, Evans in Dancing at Lughnasa, Information and Lucy in Woman rather prodigious footsteps, Evie of Music and Drama and sang in fan tutte and Jephtha. This is the social and political science at St Haemon in Antigone, A-Rab in in Mind (both Corpus Playroom); has continued her love of theatre, Genesis Sixteen, directed by Harry first show in which he has been Catharine’s College. She has a West Side Story, and Speed in Philomele in The Love of the starring in comedy and tragedy Christophers. In the vacations, allowed to sing, dance and speak strong interest in experimenting The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Nightingale (Homerton College) alike in venues across Cambridge. Natasha works as a classical and Greek - sometimes all at once. with all forms of theatre, having He is desperately hoping that his and Jill in NME by Olivia Gillman She would like to dedicate this jazz singer in London. explored classical, comedy and supervisors will count doing a play - the Downing Festival of New performance to Phillipa Madams, Nicholas Hendy is a second- theatre of cruelty. Her participation in ancient Greek as summer work. Writing and Lady Agatha in Lady the woman who made her fall in Zak Ghazi-Torbati is going into year student reading Classics at in the Greek play is an extension Windermere’s Fan (both at the love with Classics. Taken far too his final year at Magdalene King’s College. Before coming of this curiosity. Previous acting Kyle Turakhia graduated this Howard Theatre) . young, we miss you dearly. College reading English and to Cambridge, Nick had never credits include: Philinte in The summer from Emmanuel College education. He is the co-president taken part in theatre, having been Misanthrope (Clare Gardens); with a BA in English. His credits Michelangelo Chini is in his second of the Marlowe Society and co- involved instead with classical Eunice Hubble in A Streetcar as an actor include: Polixenes in year studying Russian and Latin at founder and president of Eggbox music at school and in various Named Desire (Corpus Playroom); The Winter’s Tale (Magdalene); Clare College. He has had one Comedy. Training: Royal Welsh county and national ensembles. Actor 1 in One Small Step (Corpus Nicholas in Tory Boyz (Corpus previous credit in Cambridge College of Music and Drama, Since joining university, he has Playroom) and Lil in NME (Howard Playroom); Theseus in Hippolytus theatre, having starred in the and Young Actors Studio. Previous made his first forays into both Theatre). (ADC) and roles in the 2014 and

10 11 CAST BAND Antigone: Evie Butcher Musical Director: Alan Bowman Ismene: Kaiti Soultana Assistant Musical Director: Edward Reeve Creon: Orlando Gibbs Violin: Peter Grishin Guard: Stanley Thomas Shentong Wang Viola: Izzy Cocker Haemon: Joe Sefton Sophie Trotter Teiresias: Jack Hawkins Georgia Powell Messenger: Nicholas Hendy Heppy Longworth Eurydice: Joanna Clarke Cello: Orla Papadakis Chorus: Michelangelo Chini Ben Grant Matthew Coote Michael Dawson Zak Ghazi-Torbati Guitar: Jegug Ih Rachel Grewcock Karan Singha Soprano Saxophone: Laura Dunkling Nathaniel Hess Trombone: Oliver Philcox Kyle Turakhia Adam Waterson Vicky Vanderstichele Percussion: Jonathan Morell Caitlin Walsh Sami Alsindi Offstage Choir: Zephyr Brüggen Natasha Cutler Amber Reeves-Pigott Saskia Ross CREATIVES Rosanna Suppa Director: Helen Eastman Siyang Wei Composer: Alex Silverman Hollie Witton Designer: Neil Irish Lighting Designer: Neill Brinkworth Associate Choreographer: Jenine Stacey

Lysistrata: Natasha Cutler Calonice: Hollie Witton Myrrhine: Amber Reeves-Pigott PRODUCTION Stratyllis: Rosanna Suppa Production Manager: Ray Cross Lampito: Saskia Ross Assistant Directors: Gareth Mattey Magistrate: Zak Ghazi-Torbati Rachel Tookey Company Stage Manager: Daisey Friend Cinesias: Kyle Turakhia Deputy Stage Managers: Jacob Baldwin Messenger: Orlando Gibbs (Antigone) Spartans: Michelangelo Chini Matilda Ferry-Swainson Matthew Coote (Lysistrata) Nathaniel Hess Assistant Stage Managers: Caitlin Carr Chorus of Women: Zephyr Brüggen Fae Clark Evie Butcher Sophia Graeff-Buhl-Nielsen Joanna Clarke Katie Philips Ellie Warr Rachel Grewcock Assistant Designer (Set): Eulilee Brown Kaiti Soultana Assistant Designer (Costume): Hannah Bowstead Vicky Vanderstichele Design Assistants: Rhona Jamieson Caitlin Walsh Amanda Karlsson Siyang Wei Costume and Wardrobe Supervisor: Shermaine Devine Chorus of Men: Michelangelo Chini Chief Electrician: Peter Griffin Matthew Coote LX Crew: Stephanie McMorran Jack Hawkins Crew: Philine Hagenmayer Surtitle Operators: Michael Morrison Nicholas Hendy (Antigone), Nathaniel Hess Michael Loy (Lysistrata) Orlando Gibbs Language Coaches: Anthony Bowen Joe Sefton James Diggle Stanley Thomas Education Officer: Poppy Bedslow Publicity Officer: Kam Sohi Producers: Katherine McDonald Christopher Whitton 12 13 CREATIVES Neill Brinkworth’s recent theatre includes: The Helen Eastman read Classics and English at Neil Irish trained in Birmingham and later at the Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Meeting (Hampstead Theatre); In the Night Oxford, graduating with the Passmore Edwards Slade, UCL. He has designed for many theatres, Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing Garden Live (Minor Entertainment); Children of Prize, and has a doctorate in Classics from dance companies and opera companies, (Shakespeare’s Globe); The Merchant of Venice Killers (NT Connections, National Theatre); The King’s College London. She trained as a theatre including Opera North, English Touring Opera, (Creation); Unfinished Dream(LIFT); The Hound of Divided Laing and The Seagull (Arcola Theatre); director at LAMDA (London Academy of Music New Zealand Opera, Opera Theatre Co (Dublin), the Baskervilles (Peepolykus); Angus, Thongs and As Is, Dessa Rose, Step 9 (of 12) and Tape and Dramatic Art) and has directed theatre, Opéra Comique (Paris), Czech National Opera Even More Snogging (WYP); The Snow Queen (Trafalgar Studios); The Battle of Boat (NYMT); opera and circus throughout Europe. Directing (Prague and Brno), Opera Holland Park, BAM (Rose Theatre); The Coronation of Poppea The White Feather (Union Theatre); Contact. highlights include: Fair (Trafalgar Studios); Circus (New York), the Almeida/ENO Opera Festival, (London’s Little Opera House);; Hamlet! - the com (Park Theatre); The Cutting of the Cloth Etc (the De La Warr Pavilion); Wild Raspberries Garden Opera, HMDT (London), Brooklyn Musical (Royal & Derngate/Richmond Theatre); and In Lambeth (Southwark Playhouse); Café (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow); Bug Off (Opera Academy (New York) and Danish Royal Opera. Faith Healer (Bristol Old Vic); After Troy (Oxford Chaos and A Square of Sky (the Kosh); Vincent Theatre Company, Dublin, and tour); Cure at Future projects include: Alive in Wonderland at Playhouse); Agamemnon and Prometheus/Frogs River (Old Vic Productions); Accolade, Don Juan Troy (Delphi International Festival and tour); Derby Theatre; La Cenerentola for Danish Opera; (Cambridge Arts); Much Ado About Nothing Comes Back From the War and Fanta Orange Bridgetower (Hackney Empire and tour); Dido Don Giovanni (Opera Holland Park); Betrayal (Chester Performs); Lulu (Gate/Headlong); The (Finborough Theatre); Prometheus/Frogs, and Aeneas (national tour for English Touring (UK tour); Julius Caesar (Guildford Shakespeare Stefan Golaszewski Plays (Traverse/Bush Theatre); Agamemnon (Cambridge Arts Theatre) and The Opera); Hansel and Gretel (Cork Opera House); Company) and A Tale of Two Cities (Chung Ying The Sweet Science of Bruising (National Theatre Seven Pomegranate Seeds (Oxford Playhouse). The Sweet Science of Bruising (National Theatre Theatre Company) in Hong Kong and London. Studio); Crunch! (West End); Cloudcuckooland Opera includes: Dido and Aeneas, and Jephté Studio); Cloudcuckooland - nominated for a Neil has also worked for BBC TV in both set and (UK tour); Othello (Salisbury Playhouse); Richard (English touring Opera); Strauss Gala (Raymond Total Theatre Award (international tour). She costume departments, and illustrated several III (Southwark Playhouse) and Pete and Dud: Gubbay) and Bridgetower (City of London has also made a vast array of work for families children’s publications. Come Again (West End/UK tour). As musical Festival and English touring Opera).Associate and young people, most notably Bicycle Boy, director/chorus master, credits include: What lighting designer credits include: Lohengrin the site-specific, bicycle-powered musical. She You Will (London 2012 Festival); Certified(Curve); (Warsaw National Opera, Welsh National ran the Onassis Programme at Oxford University Gareth Mattey is a graduate of Trinity Hall, having Shadowball (HMDT); Marine Parade (ETT/Brighton Opera); Ludd and Isis (Royal Opera House); from 2005 to 2010, commissioning new opera, completed a BA in English and an MPhil in Screen Festival); Annie Get Your Gun (Young Vic); Wig Maria Stuarda (Opera North) and Symbiont(s) theatre and dance inspired by ancient drama. Media and Cultures. In Cambridge and beyond, Out! (Royal Court); Eurobeat (West End/UK tour); (Wayne McGregor). Since 2010, she has been an artistic associate of he has directed a wide variety of theatre, Certified Male(Assembly) and Bridgetower (ETO/ the APGRD at Oxford University and is a visiting including operas, musicals and a bit of circus. City of London Festival). Alex has contributed fellow in contemporary performance practice at Recently, he has worked as an assistant director music to 17 productions at the Edinburgh Fringe, Raymond Cross trained as an electrical engineer Westminster University. Last year, she was guest for the British Youth Opera and for the National where his work has twice been nominated with the Atomic Energy Authority, where he fellow and visiting artist at the Peter Wall Institute, Youth Music Theatre. He is very excited about for Total Theatre Awards; he has also fulfilled worked for seven years. He decided working nine UBC, Vancouver. As a playwright and librettist, she the opportunity to help direct a play performed commissions for BBC Radio, Channel 4, ITV1 and to five, five days a week was not for him. He began has been commissioned by Oxford Playhouse, in ancient Greek. Sky Arts. his theatre career as an assistant electrician at the Royal Society, Sheffield Crucible, Hornchurch the Oxford Playhouse, working 16 hours a day, Queen’s, Greenwich Theatre, Hackney Music seven days a week! In a career spanning over 40 Trust, Chester Open Air Season, ETO, W11 and Alex Silverman is an award-winning composer Rachel Tookey is a writer and director. Her years, he has worked as an assistant electrician, the Young Vic, and translated opera, poetry and musical director. It was during his time as an previous work includes: Judge Judy’s Buzz World chief electrician, lighting designer, technical and drama. She is the founding director of the undergraduate, reading Classics at Sidney Sussex at Etcetera Theatre (winner of Footlights’ Harry manager, production manager and theatre Live Canon ensemble. She is delighted to be College, Cambridge, that he first turned his hand Porter Prize 2016 - **** Views From the Gods) manager, and from 1995 to 2004 as head of returning to direct the Cambridge Greek play for to writing music for drama, and discovered that and Tate Postmodern (top 40 shows to see at operations at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. As a the third time. he was far better suited to the orchestra pit than the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 - To Do List). She has lighting designer, he has created more than 200 to the library. It gives him immense pleasure to recently completed Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab. professional lighting designs; as well as working return to the Arts Theatre for a third time this She has enjoyed the challenge of working on extensively in the United Kingdom, he has worked Daisey Friend recently finished studying Classics year, for these two extraordinary plays. Music for such a unique production, and tweeting in in South America, Singapore, Denmark, Israel, at Pembroke College and is celebrating by stage- stage includes: King Lear, The God of Soho, The ancient Greek. Austria, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Japan, managing the Greek plays, thus completing Poland, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Raymond the circle started with her first backstage role spends his spare time travelling abroad and as wardrobe mistress to the Bryanston Greek exploring the Fens and inland waterways on his Summer School plays. While in Cambridge, she narrowboat with his wife, Jane. This is his sixth has acted in German, directed and costumed Greek play at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. Romans and stage-managed opera. She also discovered a surprising knack for Greek prose composition, but remains a Latinist at heart.

14 15 THE CAMBRIDGE GREEK PLAY COMMITTEE Professor Simon Goldhill, Chairman Professor James Clackson, Treasurer Dr Katherine McDonald, Secretary (Producer) Dr Christopher Whitton, Secretary (Producer) Miss Vanessa Lacey, Archivist

Mr Anthony Bowen, Dr Lucilla Burn, Prof. Paul Cartledge, Prof. James Diggle, Prof. Pat Easterling, Dr Renaud Gagné, Prof. Richard Hunter, Dr John Hall, Prof. Christopher Kelly, Dr Paul Millett, Dr Rosanna Omitowoju, Prof. Robin Osborne, Prof. Adrian Poole, Dr Lucilla Prauscello, Prof. Malcolm Schofield, Prof. Anthony Snodgrass, Dr Dorothy Thompson, Dr Caroline Vout, Dr Jennifer Wallace, Prof. Tim Whitmarsh

16 17 PAST PRODUCTIONS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 136 YEARS OF THE CAMBRIDGE GREEK PLAY The company and the Cambridge Greek Play 1882 Ajax Committee would like to acknowledge the great 1883 Birds generosity of the A G Leventis Foundation, Adrian 1885 Eumenides (John) Osborn and Trinity, St John’s, Emmanuel 1887 Oedipus Tyrannus and Magdalene colleges. 1890 Ion 1894 Iphigenia in Tauris Our sincere thanks to Dave Murphy and all the staff 1897 Wasps at the Cambridge Arts Theatre for continuing to 1900 Agamemnon make us feel so welcome, to Emmanuel, Gonville 1903 Birds and Caius and Robinson Colleges and the Faculties 1906 Eumenides Classics and English for providing rehearsal space, 1909 Wasps to the Faculty of Classics for logistical support, 1912 Oedipus Tyrannus and to Emmanuel, Gonville and Caius, Homerton, 1921 Oresteia King’s, Newnham, St Catharine’s, Trinity and 1924 Birds Wolfson Colleges for help with accommodating 1927 Sophocles’ Electra/Peace the company during the rehearsal period. 1930 Bacchae 1933 Oresteia Rachel Sinfield and Anastasia Christophilopoulou 1936 Frogs kindly collaborated with us to produce a display 1939 Antigone 1947 Frogs themed around the Greek play at the Fitzwilliam 1950 Oedipus at Colonus Museum. 1953 Agamemnon 1956 Bacchae The website is funded by a generous donation from 1959 Antigone Gifford Combs. Thanks to Steve Kimberley and 1962 Clouds Vanessa Lacey for their work on its construction 1965 Oedipus Tyrannus and content. 1968 Hippolytus 1971 Birds Publicity design by Hannah Grace Taylor. 1974 Medea Rehearsal photos by Anna Watson. 1977 Sophocles’ Electra 1980 Euripides’ Electra 1983 Women of Trachis 1986 Lysistrata 1989 Bacchae 1992 Hippolytus 1995 Birds 1998 Trojan Women 2001 Sophocles’ Electra 2004 Oedipus Tyrannus 2007 Medea 2010 Agamemnon 2013 Prometheus/Frogs

Information about all 42 previous productions of the Cambridge Greek Play can be found at cambridgegreekplay.com

18 19