On the morning of Sunday April 12th, the Antaeus Theatre company hosted a special behind the scenes sneak peek of their upcoming production of Antigone. This was exclusively for members/subscribers of their current season, and I’ve never been more thankful to be one. I’ve been to two Antaeus productions before, Cymbeline and All My Sons, but never to an event of theirs like this.
Since this is more of an event, and not a finished work or exhibited production, this entry will read a little more like a blog article journaling my attendance rather than a formal review. Please excuse me if I seem to loosen my tone.
I love the classic Greek plays. These are my favorite to see live, even more than Shakespeare. I may not ever see all of the extant ~45 plays by Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, and Aristophanes (*and Menander!) performed live, but I’m sure going to do my best.
Another factor is that the lead actress in this production of Antigone is Linda Park, who previously played one of my favorite characters on my personal favorite televised Star Trek version, Enterprise. Note my jacket here. I’m not very celebrity-driven, but it’s nice to see someone you’re familiar with already.
So when offered the chance to attend a live, exclusive Q&A at one of my favorite LA theaters, for one of the plays I still need to see, featuring an actress I’ve followed for years, how could I say no? I was there bright and early.
Arrival
For a while, we all milled about in the lobby. Since it was 10:15 in the morning, Antaeus was good enough to have coffee ready to serve. I finally got to meet Nike Doukas, the theater’s artistic director, in person, and it was a delight to talk with her.
After talking with another excited attendee named Chris for a while, the Antaeus staff allowed us inside the theater (the Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center, technically speaking).
However, we would be walking into a real rehearsal, with the director Andy Wolk and two of the lead actors, Linda Park (Antigone) and Mildred Marie Langford (Ismene). So we all had to be very quiet so we didn’t interfere with the process.
The Rehearsal and Q&A
Even though it’s been a couple decades, I’ve been in plays myself, so I am very aware of what a scene rehearsal looks like. Still, it was cool to see a rehearsal at a higher level. Park and Langford are high-level actors and Wolk is an accomplished director, and watching them start, stop, make decisions, alter actions, all so quickly and competently, was fascinating. When Antigone crosses to examine some papers on a table in the play, for instance, I’ll be able to recognize that direction as something I saw happen for the first time–assuming the direction sticks.
The set was in a state of construction, with two-by-fours and plywood forming basic Theban arch shapes, noting where exit locations were, but were otherwise bare and undecorated. Seeing the set like this was incredibly neat.
Sadly, Linda Park had recently broken her foot or her ankle, and had to use a wheeled scooter to move around on stage. I hope she recovers quickly!
After some time, Nike Doukas stopped the rehearsal and began the Q&A. Park, Langford, and Wolk sat down on chairs facing the audience and discussed elements of acting, directing, and adapting an ancient play.
A topic that was discussed repeatedly was, why Antigone, why now? Antigone is a woman standing up for what she believes in, against what she believes to be an unjust law. In modern political realities, perhaps that concern is as relevant as it ever was.
Wolk also discussed the motivations of characters, with Park and Langford also chiming in on what those characters believed, where they were coming from, what their hopes and goals were. At one point, Park noted that she was discovering parts of her character that she would not share, not with us, not even with her other actors or Wolk, noting that she believed it was important that some parts of her character remained private and personal. I thought this was very interesting as it’s something I’ve never considered before. The actors also noted how important it was to act with each other and learn things from each other’s performances, as well as act in the real stage while it was under construction.
We next heard from the costume designer for Antigone, Angela Balogh Calin. She was quite an exuberant personality! We got to see her packet of sketches and research for the play, and hear from her about what her inspirations were. She paid extra attention to the blind seer Tiresias, who could be allowed to dress a little differently than the common Theban citizens or ruling class.
Then we got to hear from Carter Dean, the sound designer for Antigone. This was pretty cool too, as we got to hear how and where he sourced some of the sound effects from, how he decided which would be natural vs. non-diegetic or more “magical” in feeling, and a few other aspects of the job I hadn’t thought of much before.
Finally, the audience got to ask some questions, with time for about five or six including full answers from multiple members of the cast and crew now assembled before us. I didn’t have any questions, but those around me were interesting to hear.
The show–or the rehearsal–must go on, though, so we were led out to a wonderful lunch buffet in the Antaeus Library room that was catered by guests David and Mary Jo Volk, with appropriate Mediterranean foods.
The Lunch
The lunch was great! Wow, what a spread! Everything was delicious. And of course, the best part was the socializing in the library while we all ate.
I talked to Chris again for a while, and also met Sophie Bell Meincke, who works at Antaeus in communications and philanthropy. I chatted with the sound designer, Carter Dean, for a little while too–he’s also an opera enthusiast and had some great experiences in New York City to talk about. I got to speak with Nike Doukas again for just a few more moments about my interest in ancient Sumerian literature, including disputation lit as “proto-plays.” At the end, I met David and Mary Jo Volk, who had some very good theater recommendations for me.
This was an amazingly fun and interesting event and it makes me even more excited to support the Antaeus Theatre and to see Antigone (I already have a ticket for June 1st). I’m not sure I would come to an event like this for any play–I probably would have for Cymbeline but probably wouldn’t have for All My Sons–but I’m grateful that Antaeus does this sort of thing in the first place. It definitely makes me want to continue subscribing and increase my contribution when possible.
All of this certainly makes me even more excited to see Antigone.
Full Context
Antigone was written by Sophocles (or Sophokles–technically closer to the Greek spelling) around 441 BCE. This is a new translation and adaptation by Kenneth Cavander.
The Q&A featured:
- Andy Wolk: Director
- Linda Park: Actress (Antigone)
- Mildred Marie Langford: Actress (Ismene)
- Angela Balogh Calin: Costume Designer
- Carter Dean: Sound Designer
- Nike Doukas: Host, Artistic Director
Antaeus Theatre Company is a Glendale-based ensemble theater founded in 1991 as a project of Center Theatre Group. They moved to North Hollywood in 1995, then moved again to the Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center in Glendale in 2017. They are known for being polished and professional, focusing on actors and craft, consistently delivering great productions.
Antigone is one of the core Greek tragedies, written in the 5th century BCE. It follows Antigone, daughter of the infamous Oedipus, who defies King Creon’s orders and buries her dead brother, even though this action will surely result in her doom.
Sophocles, the author of this version of Antigone, was born in 496 BCE and lived until 406 BCE. He was one of the three major tragedians of classical Athens, alongside Aeschylus and Euripides. Although he wrote over a hundred plays, only seven survive.
