Antigone

From our 2012 press release:

Soup Can Theatre is proud to announce its next production: a visceral and physical adaptation of Sophocles’ legendary tragedy Antigone that ties ancient Greece and modern-day Toronto together by drawing inspiration from the searing images of the 2010 G20 Summit protests, as well as the worldwide ‘Occupy’ movement.

Sophocles’ timeless story centres on Antigone, a young Theban woman determined to bury and honour her two brothers, both slain fighting on opposite sides of a senseless war. This act, in violation of an edict put forth by Creon, the iron-willed King of Thebes, forces her to both confront and defy his authority in the name of principle – a brave and noble choice with costly consequences.

Utilizing the play’s original text as the foundation for his vision, director Scott Dermody – in collaboration with his top-notch ensemble cast – has infused the production with elements of contact improv and physical theatre that reference iconic and incendiary visuals taken straight from the front pages. By revealing parallels between Antigone and today’s politically divisive climate, Dermody aims to examine themes of social justice, humanity’s historic penchant for bilateral conflict, and the long-standing tradition of using rebellion as a tool for change.