The Curtainless Theatre has concluded The Oedipus Cycle with their presentation of “Antigone”. There aren’t enough kudos in the world to offer this group for keeping community theatre alive and well during a time when it seems impossible. I appreciated this production’s addition of a virtual program and recap that played prior to the director’s speech (or Curtainless Speech as it is affectionately known).
Being the end of a tragic trilogy, "Antigone" is about as cheery as one would expect. The play is bookended (and filled) with death, but it’s still not hard to see why it is often listed as the favorite (including being the favorite of the director). Being the shortest of the three plays at just over an hour, things move along quickly and it keeps your interest.
While the argument for the comment section being distracting is valid, it can be a resource for those viewers who may be less familiar with the material. If you’re able to follow the comments while watching, it can help translate the more difficult language. I urge you to give this a try if you've been hesitant to watch these shows.
One doesn’t need to understand the language to appreciate the top tier talent director Dale Wayne Williams assembled for this production. Ellie Weise as Antigone was a commanding presence, even when not speaking. I sometimes found it difficult not to watch her facial expressions during other people’s lines. Joe Clark (Creon), Kate Dickinson (Ismene), and Steve Neal (Haemon) were also fantastic in their roles - to name a few. Special shout-out to the detailed and believable old-age makeup on Creon and Teiresias (Jordan Climie).
I found this round of backgrounds particularly nice. Whether real or virtual, they gave the appearance of being part of the same set. The effect was cohesive and authentic, giving us audience members the vision of what this might look like if we were all together in real life.
Once again, The Curtainless Theatre has stretched the boundaries of what virtual theatre can look like; putting together a production that was as close to the “real thing” as I’ve personally seen thus far. Technical difficulties in this installment were even more minimal than the other two, proving that the expertise of this group (particularly the expertise of technical director Cody Skalmowski I assume) is only growing as this goes on.
If you missed “Antigone” or any of their previous live-streamed shows (such as the rest of The Oedipus Cycle or their previous “Prometheus Bound”) the videos are available on The Curtainless Theatre’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/curtainlesstheatrelansing. All of their virtual shows so far have been free to watch but you can support the group with your donations at http://paypal.me/curtainlesstheatre. The Curtainless Theatre is also taking submissions for future projects. Interested people are encouraged to inquire by messaging their Facebook page.