In one of those rare but welcome departures from local norms, a play is being performed in Springfield that probably hasn’t been done in years, if ever. While Greek tragedy might not be high up on everyone’s list, I hope you make the time to see this one. The story and the production expertly explore the raw human cost of war and the moral gray areas of conflict, highlighting the struggles that still resonate in our modern world.
Considered the greatest anti-war play ever written, The Trojan Women by Euripides
shows us the brutal aftermath of the Trojan War, focusing on the suffering of the women of Troy as they await their fate at the hands of the victorious Greeks. Some will die, some will be enslaved, all will suffer.
Playwright Arthur J. Beer, who adapted the play, wrote: “The story of the war between Troy and an alliance of Greek states during the 12th century B.C. provided background for nearly half of the extant classic dramas as well as Homer’s two great epics. For 10 years the Greeks laid siege to Troy, finally capturing it by the trick of the wooden horse. Achilles, Hector, Agamemnon, Odysseus and Ajax were the heroes of the epics; but Euripides chose to write about the victims instead. Only four ‘great names’ appear in his play as characters: Hecuba, Queen of Troy; her prophetic daughter, Cassandra; Menelaus, King of Sparta; and Helen, his erring wife – and the last two are seen as a pompous fool and a scheming liar. The only other Greeks we see are a herald and some guards – and their only activities are humiliating and killing helpless Trojans.”
This theater-in-the-round production is appealing for its one-hour-and-six-minute run time and skillful handling, but it’s not an easy watch. The subject matter is grim, and audiences can expect a visceral, in-your-face experience. Director Kenneth Kendall said this play was an important one for him to do and for people to witness.
“I’ve loved this play since I first read it,” he said. Kendall first directed the play at Lincoln College and was once part of a production that performed it in Greece in 2005. When he approached Spencer Theatre Company about producing it, he didn’t anticipate it being so topical, but he feels the writing and subject matter are very accessible for today’s audiences.
“The playwright was an outsider even in his day. At the time, people felt his works broke the rules. He was not stodgy; he made human, real characters and (audiences today) don’t need to know all the history to appreciate or understand it,” Kendall said. “It feels very modern, for being a 2,500-year-old play.”
Anchoring the chorus of women with defiance and resoluteness through crushing grief is Hecuba, the fallen Queen of Troy. Anchoring the production is Carly Shank in that pivotal role, her portrayal equally majestic and broken, rage-filled and devastated. It’s a Herculean feat to carry the weight of this character for over an hour, and she does so with skill and confidence.
“I wanted to use the power of theater to comment on the current world,” Shank said, noting that working with Kendall also provided a good acting class.
For those who might have an aversion to Greek tragedy, Shank recommends looking past the ancient format and instead focusing on the subject matter.
“I’ve been trying to tell people who are politically motivated, this is a form of resistance. Being in a room with other people who share the desire to resist against atrocities is a powerful thing,” Shank said.
Not be be overlooked are the other important characters who embody this story and the actors who portray them with unbridled passion. Cassandra (Zoe Chase), Andromache (Lauren Williams), Athena/chorus (Tegan Follis), Helen (Kelly Ferguson), members of the chorus (Katharine Roberts, Magoline Middleton, Rachel Hettrick, and Sarah Reisch) all excel. Rounding out of the cast are Kevin Paul Wickart as Poseidon/Talthybius, Kam Fleming as Menelaus and Chris Heinrich playing a soldier.
“There’s nowhere to hide as an audience.” Kendall said. “You have to watch. You’re forced to face what’s happening.” We cannot, and should not, look away.
The Trojan Women,presented by Spencer Theatre Company and SIU Medicine, runs Feb. 12-15 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Tickets are available by calling 217-523-2787 or online at hcfta.org. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sataurday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
