What: “Iphigenia 2.0”
When: April 10-11 and 16-18 at 7:30 p.m.; April 11-12 and 18 at 2:30 p.m.
Where: Strother Studio Theatre
Cost: Students, $8; general public, $10
In the final Strother show of the season, the Department of Theatre and Dance presents “Iphigenia 2.0” by Charles Mee, a modern-day version of Euripides’ classic, “Iphigenia in Aulis.”
In this version, the setting revolves around an unnamed war seemingly occurring in the Middle East.
Director Drew Vidal, assistant professor with the Department of Theatre and Dance said the play “deals with themes of violence, sexuality and the sacrifice of young people in armed conflict between nations.”
The play that “Iphigenia 2.0” is based on, “Iphigenia in Aulis” takes place during the Trojan War. Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek coalition, must decide whether he will make a great sacrifice for the sake of his troops.
Even though the show is based on the original story of Iphigenia and Agamemnon, the cast said it is not important for audience members to be familiar with the play prior to attending.
“Whether or not audience members are familiar with the Agamemnon/Iphigenia story or the Trojan War, I think it is important for them to realize that ‘Iphigenia 2.0’ is a very different kind of avant-garde adaptation of the story,” said John Banes, a junior musical theatre major who plays Agamemnon in this production. “It's linear, but it isn't a traditional realist play. Walking in the door with an open mind is definitely going to enhance the experience.”
The show blends two time periods — the contemporary and the classical — resulting in a unique challenge for the cast and crew.
“Due to the patchwork of influences ancient and modern, traditional and eclectic, our playwright has created many potential anachronisms for us to make sense of,” said Vidal. “Our job has been to figure out how all the elements of the show fit together.”
Sophomore acting major Olivia Schaperjohn plays Iphigenia in this production. She said she has enjoyed living in the “heightened Greek world” that is “Iphigenia 2.0.”
“While it is contemporary, it is still a Greek tragedy,” she said. “Connecting the dots from the old world versus the new is interesting and intriguing. While the world seems far away for today, the relationships are still similar and ones we could find in the world today.”
Because the show is only 85 minutes long and does not have an intermission, the production has challenged actors to work on moment-by-moment character development. For Schaperjohn, this has meant dealing with a “character arc [that] moves incredibly fast.” Banes agrees.
“The most fun challenge of acting in this show is that every single moment for Agamemnon has dire, mortal consequences from the second the show begins until it ends,” he said. “The characters are desperately hunting and clawing for what they want. It's larger than life. It's a blast.”
In addition to the shorter length, this production features frequent music and dance numbers which will keep the audience members on their toes.
“With Bridesmaids dancing to M.I.A., Soldiers dancing to Gangstarr, a boy-band song, assault rifles, a bottle of champagne smashed against a wall and a ‘party-riot-murder-war’ at the end, what’s not to like?” asked Vidal.
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