The Bacchae
by Euripides, in a version by David Greig16 – 17 June 2023
Frankopan Hall
Frankopan Hall
“Embracing the chaos of the bacchanal (The Secret History fans, this is the play for you) allowed for this production to break free of the shackles of the limiting stage as the hysteria and furore filled the theatre.”
Varsity
Varsity
A longtime passion project of mine, this staging of Euripides’ classic tragedy drew on my experiences growing up in the American South and my love for Americana folk horror. Here, Dionysos became an eerie yet compelling evangelical preacher, spreading his word (and his madness) through small-town, 20th century America.
The play was staged in a traverse style, mimicking an old church or debating hall, with Dionysos often preaching directly to the audience, making them active witnesses to the story unfolding in front of them.
Indeed, as part of this idea of ‘witnessing’, I chose to depict Pentheus’ death on stage rather than relayed by a messenger as in most stagings. Drawing on hysteria scenes from films Midsommar and The Lighthouse, Pentheus’ terror grows as he is mutilated by the Bacchae, his on-stage death cumulating in an anguished, jarring scream - an unsettling, brutal death in the vein of so many rural American folk tales.
Photos by Tori Somerton.
The play was staged in a traverse style, mimicking an old church or debating hall, with Dionysos often preaching directly to the audience, making them active witnesses to the story unfolding in front of them.
Indeed, as part of this idea of ‘witnessing’, I chose to depict Pentheus’ death on stage rather than relayed by a messenger as in most stagings. Drawing on hysteria scenes from films Midsommar and The Lighthouse, Pentheus’ terror grows as he is mutilated by the Bacchae, his on-stage death cumulating in an anguished, jarring scream - an unsettling, brutal death in the vein of so many rural American folk tales.
Photos by Tori Somerton.
Cast
Dionysos – Charlie Scott-Haynes
Pentheus – Rob Monteiro
Agave – Alice Weatherley
Kadmos/Man – Theo Larsen
Teiresias/First Messenger – Jago Wainwright
Bacchae – Natalia-Paloma Zinger, Isabelle Duffy-Cross, Ruby Power
Crew
Director – Arianna Muñoz
Associate/Casting Director – Jennifer Chen
Assistant Director – Rosalind Wippell, Anna Peterson
Lighting Designer – Clay Barker
Publicist – April Hutchinson
Photographer – Tori Somerton
Welfare Officer – Tel Chiuri