Director’s notes.
\nEdgardo de la Cruz<\/p>\n
The essential difference between the classic Antigone and Maria
\nLampadaridou Pothou’s modern version is one of personal conviction.
\nThe classic Antigone believes in the rightness of her
\nactions in accordance with universal law, which transcends manmade
\nlaws. Lampadaridou’s Antigone believes in defining the
\nmeaning of her existence by the actions she chooses to take. In
\nthe former story, society tries to define the individual; in the latter,
\nthe individual insists on defining herself.<\/p>\n
Which of these is tragic?<\/p>\n
n theatre terms, tragedy is not
\ndefined by genre labels, but by what an audience experiences as
\ntragic. The nature of the tragic experience is that it produces a
\nsense of awe at the condition of humanity, and a deep empathy
\nfor the suffering of a character. The experience validates what w
\nall have known deeply: the recognition of our frailty, but also our
\ntenacity.<\/p>\n
Antigone or The Nostalgia of Tragedy does not set itself
\nas a tragedy. Rather, it posits the premise that, in today’s world.
\ndoing battle with great conviction against insurmountable is an unattainable condition. Contemporary life is one of
\naccommodation. Challenges thrown at an existing order, as a w y
\nto define one’s limitless commitment to a universal law, is per
\nceived as stubborn, not tragic. It is deemed a pathetic condition
\nIn my view, the playwright here has not written in the spill!
\nof her ancient counterparts. Each of her major characters hu
\niconic implications representing the essence of some era’s person
\naliry flaws: the self-centered, Egyptian Ismene; the accommodai
\ning, baroque Creon; the workaholic Haemon; the effen
\nghost of Polyneices; and the complaining welfare Chorus. 011)
\nAntigone remains essentially Greek in her stubborn insistence Oil
\nsacrifice.<\/p>\n
This play can be taken either as a statement for an existential
\ndefinition of one’s existence, or as a lament for the lack 01
\ncontemporary opportunities for heroic actions, in which Self I
\nsacrificed to a cosmic ideal. Either way, the play disturbs the srnu .
\nANTIGONE OR THE NOSTALGIA OF TRAGEDY
\nequilibrium of self-satisfaction with the present conditions
\nof life.
\nThe play does not use the techniques of absurdist or existential theatre.<\/p>\n
The playwright is too deeply, emotionally poetic, too
\na romantic, to see art as an absurd exercise. Her commitment to the individual, and her aspirations are stated with the
\nde licacy of a poet and a woman, not with the resplendent fury of
\nthe ancient male writers.
\nClearly, the play suggests the difficulty of defining the mean one’s existence in an era when commitment at deep levels impossibility. Human connections alone do not define<\/p>\n
Neither do commitments to an ideal; nonetheless, they do
\nprovide life with at least a semblance of certitude.<\/p>\n
Edgardo de la Cruz was professor of performance and director of Antigone or The Nostalgia of Tragedy at the California State University, Hayward, 1997<\/strong><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Director’s notes. Edgardo de la Cruz The essential difference between the classic Antigone and Maria Lampadaridou Pothou’s modern version is one of personal conviction. The classic Antigone believes in the rightness of her actions in accordance with universal law, which transcends manmade laws. Lampadaridou’s Antigone believes in defining the meaning of her existence by the […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","spay_email":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8380"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8380"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8384,"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8380\/revisions\/8384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}