Nurse Antigone — Theater of War
Extraordinary Greek tragedies reenvisaged on Zoom by frontline workers — the military and now healthcare workers. Grass roots community theatre at it’s best.
Not only are these dramas free (so long as you can work the US-world timeline jumps); but there is a discussion afterwards. For Nurse Antigone, you can hang out with Margaret Atwood, as you’ve never seen her before!!
Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus (yes, him!) and a worthy adversary. In this play by Sophocles, King Creon has decreed that Antigone’s dead brother Polynices cannot be buried honourably, or even mourned, on pain of death by stoning. Nurse Antigone is caught doing just that — though her brother is a rebel, she wants to see him respectfully mourned and cared for. King Creon is having none of Antigone’s defiance — getting right up in the camera to show this!
Passionately defending herself before King Creon — love is bigger than the law; Antigone is horribly sentenced to being buried alive in a tomb — a nasty irony.
Things start to go wrong as the word goes around of what has happened to Antigone following this terrible judgement on her. The gentleness of the messenger here was so powerful and moving. Plus actual frontline health care workers playing some of the parts in the drama! By making Antigone a frontline health care worker (a restorer of health and carer of bodies), her desire to honour her dead brother’s body links this story powerfully to the Pandemic we’re in now.
King Creon has a huge moment of regret when he tries to reverse what he’s done, only to discover that Antigone has hanged herself to avoid such a terrible fate. This leads to a fatal domino affect through the King’s family — his son Haemon who loves Antigone falls upon his sword; the King’s wife Eurydice kills herself in despair over her son’s death (or was it the forceable weaving activity?) King Creon’s horror at these revelations was immense on screen.
The portrayal of King Creon’s grief and pain was extraordinary….and moving to the point of making me tearful.
After the drama there was a panel discussion (partly live from local healthcare rest areas) and then a wider participant discussion. So moving as people share their thoughts, impressions and stories.
Theater of War started Zoomin’ during the Lockdowns, bringing humanity, focused discussion and kindness back into a harsh world and help frontline workers to value what they do as well as talking through the painful things they face.
Find out more about Theater of War’s productions here — https://theaterofwar.com/
