Electra
Sophocles’ greatest character drama
Translated by Anne Carson and Michael Shaw
March 10-13, 2004
Previews: March 8 and 9 at 8pm
Opens: March 10 at 8pm
Evening Performances: 11, 12, and 13 at 8pm
Matinee: Saturday March 13 at 2pm
Pre-Show Lecture: March 12 at 7pm
Director: Britt Candide Small (Graduate Student)
Set Designer: Allan Stichbury (Faculty)
Costume Designer: Matt Jackson
Lighting Designer: Jen Braem
Musical Designer: Avery Brown (Guest Artist)
Stage Manager: Gillian Reiss
Assistant Director: Tanner Harvey
Assistant to the Costume Director: Karen Fisher
Dramaturge: James Douglas
Faculty Supervisor (Directing): Linda Hardy
Faculty Supervisor (Costume Design): Mary Kerr
Guest Supervisor (Lighting Design): Melinda Sutton
Featuring: Melissa Bates, Meg Braem, James Douglas, Katie Hood, Kathlene McGuinness, Beth Scozzafava, Marisa Smith, and Chad Wood.
What kind of a woman was Electra that she would want so desperately to murder her own mother? Electra is not an easy play to inhabit or to witness. There are no right or easy answers, only extreme characters in exceptional circumstances who share a knowledge of what it is like to suffer in an uncertain civilization.
MEDIA REVEIWS
“An elemental set is simple and yet effective: a huge tree trunk leans one way, three metal cables lean the other. The metallic palace gates are massive, industrial-looking constructs. A three-woman chorus is used extremely well. They carry out traditional functions, commenting on the action and acting as supplemental characters. Yet in this production, the chorus’ chattering—overlapping and insidious—seems almost an extension of Electra’s troubled mind. Their formal, synchronized poses are used to great effect. At one point, when Electra describes how her mother wiped her bloody blade on her father’s head, the chorus members simultaneously wipe their brows and exhale with an ominous “Ahhhh!”—a fine and powerful moment.”
-Adrian Chamberlain (Times Colonist Reviewer)
“As revisioned by director Britt Candide Small, this Electra is a powerful piece of expressionist theatre, fusing a simple set and dramatic lighting with evocative movement, abstract costuming and generally strong performances.”
-John Threlfall (Monday Magazine Reveiwer)
“Matt Jackson’s costume design adds perfectly to the energy of the play with his choice of traditional, yet outlandish clothing. Each costume reflects each player, from the regal garments of Clytemnestra (Bates) to the tight, leather ensemble of Orestes (Chad Wood). Jen Braem’s lighting is spot-on with a hint of blue tint over the centre of the stage, and slight shadow over the backdrop of the sides of the performing area.”
-Max Lamb (Martlet)
