Antigone: What would you die for?

Would you die tonight for your beliefs?

This is a question many Eastern students never thought about until Eastern’s fall production of Antigone. This ancient Greek story was given a modern twist by director Elizabeth Carlson, ’06 alumna, and a talented cast of performers.

Antigone is the story of a young woman living with courage. Because of the death of her brother, she is faced with an overpowering uncle named Creon who wishes to let her brother’s body lie on the earth and rot. Antigone’s strong beliefs allow her to find courage to do what she feels is right and to allow her brother’s spirit to be laid to rest – no matter what.

Junior Elizabeth Loughridge’s acting ability shines through as Antigone, making the audience applaud the courage that lives within her character. We end up loathing her oppressor: Creon, played by senior Brian Barnes.

The actors convinced the audience of the power of holding to beliefs.

“You could feel the intense emotions created by Antigone’s suffering,” senior Mandi Dorrell said. “It was definitely worth my money.”

Carlson’s directorial debut proved to be a good choice for an Eastern production.

The audience members were set apart from each other as a thick fog rolled into a masked off auditorium. Music of the Middle East floated through the background while a red painted wall gave off a feeling of intensity. The war-torn scenery added to the passion in this production.

“I thought the costumes and the set were very creative and well done,” junior Elizabeth King said. “The performance as a whole showed that the interpretation of the script was well thought out and allowed the cast to work well together. It was one of the best productions I’ve seen Eastern put on.”

The combination of great directing, an excellent cast and a powerful set proved once again that Eastern’s theatre department has the ability to produce a very entertaining and moving show.