Sophocles Greek tragedy to be presented

Sophocles’ Greek tragedy “Antigone” will be presented by Northwestern College theatre Nov. 8, 9 and 14–16 at 7:30 p.m.; there also will be a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Nov. 16. The ancient drama will be presented in the England Theatre.

Northwestern theatre professor Dr. Robert Hubbard is directing the classic play, widely regarded as one of the greatest tragedies ever written. Antigone, daughter of the ill-fated, incestuous couple Oedipus and Jocasta, witnesses her brothers go to war with each other over the reign of Thebes. After they kill each other, one is afforded a respectable burial while the other is left to rot on the battlefield.

In deference to a higher moral code—and defiance of the law and her uncle, Creon—Antigone buries her brother herself, setting the stage for all manner of tragedy.

Hubbard calls “Antigone” one of the most accessible of Sophocles’ plays and says the drama’s insights into family, politics and the tension of individual versus the state resonate today.

Hubbard set the tragedy in a futuristic, post-apocalypse landscape after researching ancient Thebes, which he describes as the anti-Athens. “Where Athens was all democracy and culture, Thebes was corrupt, incestuous and perpetually in the midst of civil war.”

Seniors Honna Brown, Grove City, Minn., and Jackson Nickolay, Hovland, Minn., will play Antigone and Creon. The 19-member cast also includes Amber Beyer, a sophomore from Orange City, as a member of the Greek chorus.

Tickets for “Antigone” are $7 for adults and $4 for students. The DeWitt Theatre box office opens Oct. 28 for Theatre Patrons; it is open Oct. 29 through Nov. 16 for the general public.

Tickets can be reserved by visiting the box office between 4 and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday or between noon and 5 p.m. on Saturday. The box office can also be reached by phone, 712-707-7098, or e-mail, boxoffice@nwciowa.edu.

High school students and teachers are invited to watch the “Antigone” preview free on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. Contact theatre manager Jennifer Sabo, jennifer.sabo@nwciowa.edu or 712-707-7341, to make a reservation.