Written by Jean Anouilh • Directed by George Roesler • Four performances • Fine Arts Theatre
Inver Hills Theatre is presenting Antigone by Jean Anouilh in the Fine Arts Theatre on the Inver Hills Community College campus in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Translated by Lewis Galantiere and directed by George Roesler, the play will have four performances, Friday, October 28, Saturday, October 29, Friday, November 4, and Saturday, November 5; all performances start at 7:30 p.m.
Although the play is based on Sophocles’ Antigone, and although Jean Anouilh carefully follows the basic plot, Anouilh used the mythological story to comment on France during the German occupation in 1942, and he did this largely through his characterization of Antigone and the debate she has with Creon midway through the play.
Our production is set in contemporary times as the main theme of the play parallels what is happening in our world today. Antigone, daughter of the cursed house of Oedipus, must defy her king to bury her brother, the fallen leader of a failed rebellion.
Can one young girl, willing to sacrifice everything, face down the power of a state determined to destroy her if she does not obey? Anouilh skillfully weaves a contemporary interpretation of Sophocles’ timeless myth, which pits the baser instincts of enmity and revenge against the power of love and reconciliation.
“I may be your uncle—but we are not a particularly affectionate family.”
— Creon
Inver Hills Theatre presents
WHAT: Antigone
Written by Jean Anouilh
Translated by Lewis Galantiere
Directed by George Roesler
WHEN:
Friday, October 28, 2022
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Friday, November 4, 2022
Saturday, November 5, 2022
All performances start at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Fine Arts Theatre
Fine Arts Building
Inver Hills Community College
2500 80th Street East
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076
Maps & Locations
General Admission: $12
Seniors/Students: $10
Inver Hills Students: FREE
No reservation necessary.
Tickets may be purchased at the door the evening of performance.
“We come of a tribe that asks questions; and we ask them remorselessly, to the bitter end.”
— Antigone
Synopsis of the background to the tragedy
After King Oedipus left Thebes, blinded and disgraced, his two sons Eteocles and Polyneices were elected co-rulers of the city. They agreed to reign for alternate years, but at the end of his first term, Eteocles refused to relinquish the throne to his brother and banished him from Thebes.
Polyneices raised an army in Argos and returned to Thebes, threatening to destroy the city if Eteocles didn’t yield. A terrible civil war ensued, both brothers were killed, and their uncle Creon proclaimed himself King of Thebes.
As his first act of government, Creon declared Polyneices a traitor to the city, and forbade anyone to give his corpse a proper burial. The play begins as Antigone, daughter of Oedipus and sister to Eteocles and Polyneices, hears of this edict, and resolves to bury her brother in secret.
“Now and again—in the three thousand years since the first Antigone—other Antigones have arisen like a clarion call…Their cause is always the same—a passionate belief that moral law exists, and a passionate regard for the sanctity of human dignity.”
— Chorus
Learn more about the Inver Hills Theatre production of Antigone by contacting:
George M. Roesler
Theatre and Communication Studies Faculty
Inver Hills Community College
651-450-3588
More about the Theatre department at Inver Hills…
The Theatre department at Inver Hills is on a mission. As a student in our program, you will learn we are driven to instill in you a lifelong appreciation for the theatre arts and film studies. Our curriculum will encourage you to develop your performance skills and capabilities.
Stella Adler, the renowned acting teacher, once said: “The theatre is a spiritual and social X-ray of its time. The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation.”
Why Study Theatre at Inver Hills?
Take your theatrical skills to the next stage.
The Transfer Pathway A.F.A. in Theatre offers you the powerful opportunity to complete your associate degree and then transfer with junior-year status to a Minnesota State university to pursue a baccalaureate degree in the theatre arts.
Confirm theory through practice.
Our Theatre department offers a wide variety of courses, both practical and theoretical, that will give you the experience and knowledge you need to harness your talent. You can begin by taking introductory film, cinema, and theatre courses that teach you how to view and analyze performances. You can follow through by taking practicum courses that provide hands-on learning in essential theatrical areas.
Spark your magic by acting in college plays.
Inver Hills features two venues ideally suited for live theatrical performances, the 300-seat Inver Hills Theatre and the more intimate Black Box Theatre. The former features three plays a year, including a children’s play in April for elementary school students. Our theatre students have worked on and performed in numerous college productions from Dracula to Jesus Christ Superstar to Aladdin to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz to Sylvia.
Our faculty live and breathe theatre.
The instructors in our Theatre department bring strong academic credentials and professional experience to their curriculums. Many work on Twin Cities theatrical productions, directing and performing live. The theatrical world is the engine of their lives.
Join a community that lasts a lifetime.
Theatre at Inver Hills provides opportunities for both beginners and old hands, including the chance to participate in student-directed productions through Theatre Club. The sense of a shared purpose gives our department an exciting, interconnected atmosphere. Former students have gone on to become respected professional actors, designers, and theatrical managers in the Twin Cities metro area theatre community.
Theatre tells you how it is.
Indeed Career Guide offers this advice: “If you love the stage and majored in theatre, there are many jobs in the theatre industry you can pursue. Understanding where you can work and what you can do with your theatre degree can help you determine the best career path for your interests.”
Career Opportunities
Theatre arts date back more than 2,500 years to the city-state of Athens in ancient Greece.
Modern theatre in the English-speaking world is exemplified by Broadway, which features 40 professional theatres with 500 seats or more. Dozens and dozens of theatre companies across the U.S. produce plays of all kinds, including dramas, tragedies, musicals, comedies, and improv.
Theatre majors obtain a remarkable range of communication, organizational, people, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills that apply to numerous careers beyond the performing arts.
Some occupations you could consider are attorney, program officer, researcher, policy analyst, advocate, and social services professional.
LEARN MORE…
