In Search of Greek Theatre #1: Antigone (2012) | National Theatre

Summary

Lucy Jackson and Erin Lee explore Greek tragedies staged at the National Theatre, using the archive to examine how ancient plays are adapted for modern audiences. They discuss the 2012 production of 'Antigone', directed by Polly Findlay, highlighting set design, costumes, and the chorus's transformation into an office ensemble, reflecting contemporary themes and moral dilemmas.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The National Theatre Archive contains a wealth of material from productions since 1963, including photographs, scripts, and set models, which provide insights into the artistic and practical decisions behind staging performances.
• 🎭 The collaboration between the director and designer is crucial in determining how productions are staged and set, aiming to create a seamless blend between the stage and the audience's space.
• 🎭 'Antigone', directed by Polly Findlay and translated by Don Taylor in 2012, used the National Theatre's archive to inform its design, aiming to blur the lines between the stage and the audience.
• 🎭 The set design for 'Antigone' mirrored the Olivier Theatre's architecture, using similar materials and colors to integrate the audience into the performance.
• 🎭 The production used contemporary staging elements, such as a table scene reflecting a real-life political event, to draw parallels with current affairs and engage the audience.
• 🎭 Costume design played a significant role in character development, with Antigone's attire reflecting her transition from a youthful, feminine character to one who has undergone a physically demanding task.
• 🎭 The production team meticulously researched to create realistic portrayals of characters like Tiresias, focusing on injuries that could result from modern conflicts.
• 🎭 The chorus in 'Antigone' was modernized, with each member having distinct roles and backstories, diverging from the traditional collective identity of ancient Greek theatre.
• 🎭 The ensemble worked to create a realistic 'office ballet,' with props on wheels and meticulously choreographed movements to support the central conflict between Creon and Antigone.
• 🎭 The National Theatre Archive is a valuable resource for exploring the intricacies of past productions and understanding the reinterpretation of classic texts in a modern context.

Q & A

Who are Lucy Jackson and Erin Lee?

Lucy Jackson is an Assistant Professor in Ancient Greek Literature, and Erin Lee is the Head of Archive at the National Theatre.

What is the purpose of the series of films they are discussing?

The purpose of the series of films is to explore Greek tragedies that have been staged at the National Theatre, using the archive records as a starting point to examine the practicalities of staging ancient Greek plays in a modern setting.

What types of items can be found in the National Theatre archive?

The archive contains thousands of items including photographs, prompt scripts, technical drawings, set models, and more, dating back to the opening night in 1963.

What is the significance of staging Greek plays as productions rather than just literature?

Staging Greek plays as productions allows for a new perspective on these ancient works, prompting fresh questions about their relevance today and the artistic and practical considerations involved.

Which famous Greek play was staged at the National Theatre in 2012?

Sophocles' 'Antigone' was staged at the National Theatre in 2012.

Who directed and translated 'Antigone' in the 2012 production?

The 2012 production of 'Antigone' was directed by Polly Findlay and translated by Don Taylor.

How did the set design for 'Antigone' integrate with the Olivier Theatre's architecture?

The set design for 'Antigone' blended with the architecture and style of the Olivier Theatre by using the same carpet and purple color for the stage and auditorium seats, and a concrete effect that matched the theatre's walls.

What was the director's vision for the setting of 'Antigone'?

The director, Polly Findlay, aimed to create an indeterminate setting to avoid a close-up view of the play and instead allow for a wider perspective.

How did the costume design contribute to the character development in 'Antigone'?

The costume design for 'Antigone' was in line with a 20th and 21st-century setting, with Antigone's dress highlighting her youth and femininity. The change in her costume after burying her brother indicated the physical demands of the task and her transformation.

What was the significance of the wedding dress in the context of 'Antigone'?

The wedding dress was meant to symbolize the grim irony between marriage and death, as Antigone's life as a bride is cut short by her execution. However, it seems this costume was not used in the final production.

How was the chorus presented in the 2012 production of 'Antigone'?

The chorus in the 2012 production was presented as a group of individual male characters, each with their own backstory and job, moving independently to maintain the government of Thebes, which is a modern take on the traditional Greek chorus.

What was the impact of the ensemble's activities on the staging of 'Antigone'?

The ensemble's activities provided a significant counterbalance to the central conflict, contributing to the smooth, choreographed movement of the actors on stage, which was likened to an 'office ballet'.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Exploring Greek Tragedies at the National Theatre

Lucy Jackson and Erin Lee introduce a series of films examining Greek tragedies staged at the National Theatre. They discuss using the theatre's archive to explore the staging of ancient Greek plays in a modern setting. The archive contains a wealth of items dating back to 1963, reflecting artistic choices and practical considerations in performance. They highlight the 2012 staging of Sophocles' 'Antigone', directed by Polly Findlay and translated by Don Taylor, emphasizing the play's enduring relevance. The set design by Soutra Gilmore aimed to blend with the Olivier Theatre's architecture, creating a seamless experience for the audience. The production also drew parallels with contemporary events, such as the military operation to assassinate Osama bin Laden, to make the ancient story resonate with modern audiences.

05:00

👗 Costume and Character Development in 'Antigone'

The paragraph delves into the importance of costume in ancient Greek theatre, using the National Theatre Archive to understand the decisions made for the 'Antigone' production. The costumes were designed to fit a 20th and 21st-century setting, with Antigone's dress reflecting a Cold War, Central European style. The change in Antigone's costume from a clean, feminine look to a dirtied, broken-down version after burying her brother symbolizes her transformation. The potential use of a wedding dress for her execution was considered, creating a stark contrast between marriage and death, although it was not used in the final production. The entrance of the prophet Tiresias and the boy that leads him is described as a striking moment, with the creative team focusing on creating realistic injuries to reflect the impact of recent conflict.

10:01

🏛️ Modernizing the Greek Chorus in 'Antigone'

This section discusses the modern interpretation of the Greek chorus in the 'Antigone' production. Traditionally, the chorus was a collective of male performers, but this production presented each chorus member as an individual with their own character and backstory, reflecting the diversity of ancient Greek theatre spaces. The chorus members were portrayed as office workers, each engaged in their own tasks, which added a layer of realism and relatability to the audience. The naturalistic approach to the chorus was intended to make the audience question the moral dilemmas presented in the play, drawing parallels to the banality of evil and the responsibility of individuals in a group.

15:02

💃 Choreographing the Ensemble in 'Antigone'

The final paragraph focuses on the ensemble aspect of the production, highlighting the importance of the entire cast in creating a cohesive performance. The actors moved in a meticulously choreographed 'office ballet,' which was achieved through the use of props and set pieces on wheels during rehearsals. The ensemble activity provided a counterbalance to the central conflict between Creon and Antigone, emphasizing the collective impact of the characters' actions. The National Theatre Archive is praised as a unique resource for exploring interpretations of classic texts, and an invitation is extended for viewers to visit and experience the archive's content firsthand.

Keywords

💡National Theatre

The National Theatre is a prominent venue for the performing arts in London, known for staging a variety of plays, including Greek tragedies. In the script, it is highlighted as the location where the Greek tragedy 'Antigone' was staged in 2012. The National Theatre's archive, which contains records of all its productions, plays a crucial role in understanding the artistic and practical decisions made in staging these plays.

💡Antigone

Antigone is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles, which was staged at the National Theatre in 2012. The play tells the story of a young woman who defies the king's decree to bury her brother, leading to tragic consequences. The script discusses how this play was adapted and staged, including the set design, costumes, and the portrayal of its themes within a modern context.

💡Archive

The archive mentioned in the script refers to the collection of documents, photographs, prompt scripts, and other materials that record the history of the National Theatre's productions. It serves as a resource for understanding the creative process behind staging plays like 'Antigone', including the artistic choices and practical considerations that go into each production.

💡Production Design

Production design encompasses the visual aspects of a play, including set, costume, and lighting design. The script discusses how the designer for 'Antigone', Soutra Gilmore, worked to create a set that blended with the Olivier Theatre's architecture, using similar materials and colors to blur the boundary between stage and auditorium, thereby immersing the audience in the performance.

💡Director

A director is responsible for the overall vision of a play's production. In the context of the script, Polly Findlay is noted as the director of 'Antigone'. She worked closely with the designer to determine how the play would be staged, including decisions about setting, costume, and the portrayal of characters to create a contemporary yet timeless production.

💡Chorus

In Greek tragedy, the chorus is a group of performers who comment on the action and provide context. The script describes how the traditional chorus in 'Antigone' was reinterpreted for the National Theatre's production, with each chorus member having a distinct character and role, reflecting a modern, office-based setting and contributing to the play's themes of bureaucracy and the banality of evil.

💡Ensemble

An ensemble refers to the group of actors in a production who work together to create a unified performance. The script mentions that the cast of 'Antigone' was built into an ensemble through research trips and exercises, which helped to create a strong bond among the actors and contributed to the choreographed movements and interactions seen on stage.

💡Costume Design

Costume design involves creating the clothing worn by actors to help define their characters and the time period of the play. The script discusses how the costumes in 'Antigone' were designed to fit a 20th or 21st-century setting, with Antigone's dress highlighting her youth and femininity, and later showing the physical demands of her actions through dirt and wear.

💡Set Model

A set model is a physical or digital representation of the stage design for a production. The script alludes to set models dating back to the National Theatre's opening night in 1963, indicating the historical record of stage designs and the evolution of production design over time.

💡Prompt Script

A prompt script is a detailed document that contains the text of a play along with stage directions and actor cues. The script mentions that the prompt script for 'Antigone' included directions for actors to mirror a specific photograph, illustrating how such documents guide the staging and performance of a play.

💡Theban Conflict

The Theban Conflict refers to the backdrop of war and civil unrest in 'Antigone', which influences the characters' actions and the play's themes. The script discusses how the production used the appearance of characters, such as Tiresias with an acid burn and a boy with a shaved head, to represent the devastating effects of war on the people of Thebes.

Highlights

Lucy Jackson and Erin Lee explore Greek tragedies staged at the National Theatre.

The archive contains thousands of items dating back to 1963, showcasing artistic choices and practical considerations.

The series examines ancient Greek plays as staged productions, not just as literature.

Sophocles' 'Antigone' was staged in 2012, directed by Polly Findlay and translated by Don Taylor.

The set design by Soutra Gilmore blended with the Olivier Theatre's architecture.

The production aimed to blur the boundary between stage and auditorium.

The play's opening compared the cast's reactions to a real-life political event involving Barack Obama.

The setting was designed to be indeterminate, avoiding immediate recognition to allow a 'widescreen' view of the play.

The design team was inspired by 'The Lives of Others' and other sources for the non-specific setting.

Costumes were crucial in ancient Greek theatre, and the archive helps understand contemporary costume decisions.

Jodie Whittaker's costume as Antigone highlighted her youth and femininity.

Antigone's costume change after burying her brother signified a transformation in her character.

The wedding dress was swapped for a baggy cloth dress, possibly to evoke more sympathy for Antigone.

Tiresias and the boy's entrance was striking, with a focus on injuries from a 20th-century conflict.

The chorus was presented in a modern way, with each member having individual roles and backstories.

The chorus's naturalistic approach made the audience question the moral dilemma of the play.

The production blurred lines between cast, ensemble, and chorus, requiring flexibility and understudies.

Ensemble building involved research trips and exercises to foster a bond among the cast.

The 'office ballet' required meticulous choreography and props on wheels for rehearsals.

The National Theatre Archive is a unique resource for exploring classic texts and their interpretations.

Transcripts

[dynamic string music]

- I'm Lucy Jackson, Assistant Professor

in Ancient Greek Literature.

- I'm Erin Lee, Head of Archive at the National Theatre.

- In this series of films, Erin and I will

be looking at some of the Greek tragedies that

have been staged at the National Theatre.

Using the records held in the theatre's archive as a

starting point, we'll look at the practicalities of staging an

ancient Greek play in a modern theatre building.

- The archive is home to thousands of items, from photographs

to prompt scripts, technical drawings to set models

dating all the way back to our opening night in 1963.

Every production has left behind some traces

of the multiple artistic choices and practical considerations

that go into making a performance.

- By exploring these plays as staged productions,

rather than as pieces of literature,

we begin to see these ancient works in a new light.

Going behind the scenes of the productions makes us ask

fresh questions about why these plays

and their myths are still relevant today.

- One of the most famous of the Greek plays,

Sophocles' ''Antigone'', was staged at the National Theatre in 2012,

directed by Polly Findlay and translated by Don Taylor.

- Simple yes or no.

Did you hear of my order forbidding the burial?

- Of course I heard it.

How could I not?

- And yet you dared to disobey the law.

- Yes, I did.

Because it's your law, not the law of God.

Natural justice, which is of all

times and places numinous, not material.

Equality of Zeus, not of kings, recognises no such law.

You are merely a man.

Mortal like me in the laws you enact

cannot overturn ancient moralities, or common human decency.

[mysterious music]

- How productions are staged and where they're set

is worked out by the director

in close collaboration with the designer.

The designer for ''Antigone'' was Soutra Gilmore.

- Something that audiences may have noticed as soon as

they entered the auditorium was how the set blended

with the architecture and style of the Olivier Theatre

and the National Theatre building itself.

Early on in the rehearsal process, the full cast and crew

are briefed on ideas for the production's design.

In this brief, we saw how there was a

clear aim to blur the boundary between the stage

and auditorium, using the same carpet for both

and having the same purple colour as the audience's seats

for a number of the onstage chairs.

The concrete effect used for the set blended

with the concrete of the Olivier walls.

Audiences may not have been consciously aware of

this mirroring of stage and auditorium, but the

subtle elements of the design bring the audience

right inside the action to play.

- At the very beginning of the play, the whole cast

gathers around a table and reacts to

a series of events shown on a screen.

Audiences were directed to compare this onstage tableau with

an image of the US President in 2011, Barack Obama

and several members of the US government reacting

to the military operation to assassinate Osama bin Laden.

The prompt script outlines the detailed direction given

to each actor in order to mirror this precise photo.

- While some elements of the staging were very contemporary,

there were other elements that located the action

of the play a little further back in history.

In an interview, Poly Findlay talks about wanting

to create a more indeterminate setting.

She says, ''Any immediately recognisable setting makes us

look at the play in close-up, when

we need to be able to see it in widescreen.''

- The production files hold numerous documents and images

which would have inspired the design team,

but also helped the cast too.

A series of shots from the film

''The Lives of Others'', set in 80's East Berlin,

were pinned up on the rehearsal room walls.

A document that gives us a list of questions for Soutra,

gives us a glimpse into the process

of building up this evocative, but non-specific setting.

The kind of newspapers the cast will use

on stage should be 70s, Russian or DDR.

That's the German Democratic Republic, but it's also specified

that there be no dates on the prop newspapers.

We even find some examples of these in the Props Bible.

- In creating this undefined setting on stage, this production

of ''Antigone'' recreates how it was

for an ancient Greek audience to be watching the play.

Myth for the ancient Greeks existed in

a kind of undefined past.

A world where different time periods were blurred together.

The open space of the ancient Greek theatre,

a model that was the inspiration for the Olivier Theatre itself,

also encouraged a blurring between the world of

the play and the world of the audience.

We can see the same balance of

fluid setting and the blurring between audience and actors

in this production of ''Antigone''.

- Costume was of great importance in ancient Greek theatre

and although none of these costumes have survived,

the resources of the National Theatre Archive

allow us to examine contemporary decisions about costume,

helping us to understand a play like Sophocles' ''Antigone''

on its feet and in technicolour.

- In this production of ''Antigone'', all of the costumes fit

the 20th and 21st-century setting,

with those worn by women, more obviously in line with

a Cold War, Central European look.

The dress worn by the actor Jodie Whittaker,

paired with ankle socks and lace-up shoes,

highlights the youth of the character of Antigone.

It's very feminine, girly even.

It is not, perhaps, what we

might expect a rebel to wear.

A second version of the dress - a broken down version,

was worn after Antigone has buried her brother.

It may not have been visible to most of the audience,

but the scenes have been stressed

and the front and sleeves are covered in dirt.

The change in costume gives us

a sense of what has happened offstage.

She has had to bury her brother on her own,

and the dress shows how physically demanding,

how hard and grubby the task has been.

She's a different person now.

- In a number of the production stills

we see Antigone in a different dress,

and the rehearsal notes referred to this as a wedding outfit.

This links back to an important motif of marriage in Sophocles' play.

Antigone was meant to be marrying Haemon.

She was meant to be looking forward

to a happy future as his wife.

But now, that life is being cut short,

Wearing a wedding dress for her execution creates

a grimly, ironic association between marriage and death.

By the time the production was filmed, however,

it seems like this particular costume was swapped out

for the baggy cloth dress we see her in here.

There aren't any indications as to why the wedding outfit

didn't end up being used in the production.

Did the baggy dress create more

sympathy for the character of Antigone?

We're left to think about why such a decision was made.

[disturbing echoes and growls ]

- The entrance of Tiresias - a blind, truth-telling prophet

and the boy that leads him is

a strange and striking moment in this production.

In looking at the records held by the archive,

we see how the team focused on

creating a particular vision of these two characters.

Early on in the rehearsals, the creative team

were researching the kind of injury that might

have occurred in a 20th century conflict.

These wounds and injuries all had to be workshopped.

They eventually decided on creating the effect

of an acid burn for Tiresias.

The team had to go to

considerable lengths to create the impression

Tiresias' companion had either lost their hair

or had had their head shaved.

Bald caps had to be fitted to each actor.

One of the children had had

allergic reactions to glue in the past

and so, with the permission of his parents,

ended up shaving his head for the production.

Without these notes, we might never

have appreciated the practical and ethical

challenges involved in staging this scene.

Along with the acid burn and the shaved heads, these

braces for a leg and an arm worn by the boy

add to the impression that the people of Thebes

have suffered catastrophically in the recent conflict.

When Tiresias and the boy come on stage,

we are confronted with the results of

a horrific conflict in the outside world.

Such a stark image reminds us of the recent war

and gives some license to Creon

in his harsh punishment of Antigone.

One of the unique features of ancient Greek drama

and something that always presents a bit of a challenge,

or an opportunity for modern

theatre-makers and theatre-goers, is the chorus.

- In many ways this production presents us with a

very classic Greek chorus, but at the same time

does something quite modern and different with it.

In ancient Greek drama, the chorus was

made up of 12 to 15 male performers

with a single collective identity.

They would have moved, spoken and sung in unison,

at least for some of the time.

In the large theatre spaces of ancient Greece,

it would have been very difficult to distinguish

between individual members of the chorus,

not least because they would have been wearing masks.

In this production of Antigone, the chorus are all male

and are all working in the same space and towards

the same goal, maintaining the government of Thebes

in the wake of the Civil War, but in a way that is

very different to ancient Greek theatre practice.

Each member of this chorus is an individual

with their own character title, their own backstory, and they

move independently in accordance with their different jobs.

This was an approach to staging the chorus

that the director, Polly Findlay,

had already worked out ahead of rehearsals,

as we can see from this email sent to the chorus.

The rehearsal notes held by the archive

show that the actors in the chorus took the

development of their individual characters very seriously.

The actor Jason Cheater requests some real-life electrical equipment

that he, as janitor, can be tinkering with, while

Michael Grady Hall as office boy, requests a water dispenser

or water bottles so that he can perform

one of his tasks keeping people hydrated.

One member of the chorus, Stavros Demotraki, even

developed his own filing system in line with

his role as archivist. In the Props Bible,

there are some of the archivist labels too.

Watching the production, it's possible we may not

even notice how much is going on.

Here Stavros examining some photo negatives ready for filing,

while Kobna Holdbrook-Smith performs

one of his coral odds.

In a way, the archive reveals aspects

that we might not have realised

just watching the production, we can see all

this extremely realistic detail and action with each

member of the chorus developing their own office space

and their own internal world.

- There's a phrase coined by the philosopher Hannah Arendt,

'the banality of evil', that just keeping your head down and

doing your job without thinking about the consequences

is how a lot of evil is achieved in the world.

The tragedy of this play is that the deaths

of Antigone, Haemon and Eurydice could have been prevented.

Thebes could have had a just and fair ruler.

And while Creon bears the ultimate responsibility,

he has been supported and helped throughout

by this chorus of office workers as they stamp their files,

collect their samples and gather intelligence on

unsuspecting members of the public.

Every member of this group contributes

towards the play's horrific end.

The naturalistic approach to the chorus is more

than just busy work or a way for

each actor to feel connected to their character.

The relatability of office work means that we,

as the audience, question the moral dilemma of the play.

What are we helping?

What are we bearing witness to?

Would we have done any different in their place?

The question of how an ensemble is different

to a chorus is always tricky to define.

There is a lot of overlap in

how different theatre practitioners use these terms.

In this production, we see that the chorus are

all men and have the coral lines divided up amongst them.

However, the boundaries are blurred.

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is listed as messenger,

not as chorus, even though he acts as part

of the chorus of men throughout the production

and also speaks some of the Chorus' lines.

Two female actors, Emily Glenister and

Joe Dockery, are listed under ensemble.

Similar to the members of the chorus, they have

their individual job titles and sets of activities.

In this production, there weren't any clear

lines between cast, ensemble and chorus.

This was probably the result of needing to

have actors on standby in case some speaking

characters fell ill during the run.

Jo and Emily, for example, were

understudies for the three other female roles

of Ismene, Eurydice and Antigone.

It's interesting to think about how these

sorts of distinctions are worked out

or maybe ignored in the rehearsal room.

Does it matter if you're in the

company, the chorus or the ensemble?

Creating an effective ensemble requires the cast to have a

bond with one another and the archived materials show us

that this was built up on research trips to places

like the Churchill War Rooms and to the secret nuclear

bunker at Kelvedon Hatch in Essex.

In the rehearsal diaries, we also glimpse some of

the exercises the whole cast took part in.

There's a lovely detail here about Christopher Eccleston, who

played the main role of Creon, taking part in these

improvisation exercises, exploring the role of someone

in charge of pest control in the bunker.

This seems to be an important part of

thinking about ensemble, breaking down the usual hierarchies

of who's playing the main roles.

- The time spent on exercises and trips to

build a sense of ensemble becomes visible in

the smooth but meticulously choreographed way that the

actors all move around each other,

in what Polly Findlay describes as

a kind of 'office ballet'.

Achieving this smoothness meant that the right kinds

of props had to be available in rehearsals

to assist with creating and practicing this choreography.

We even find requests for chairs, drawers and other furniture units

to be put on wheels to help with this.

The mocked up set in rehearsal allows the cast to hone

the complex choreography of the piece, reminding us that a

play is more than just its main characters.

The ensemble activity in this production

provides a significant counterbalance to the

central conflict between Creon and Antigone.

The National Theatre Archive really is

a unique resource that allows you to get

up close to all these incredible productions

and explore new interpretations of classic texts.

- If you want to come down and see

any of this content for yourself, then feel

free to contact us via our website.