“This is perhaps the greatest play ever written about the tension between the duties we owe the state and those we owe to our personal values.”
– Charles Spencer – The Telegraph

ANTIGONE BY SOPHOCLES

Adapted and Directed by Mike Griffin
Translated by Ian Johnston
Set and Costume Design by Kelly Wolf
Lighting Design by Chris Malkowski
Sound Design by Max Holten-Andersen

Adapted by faculty member Mike Griffin from Sophocles’ classic Greek Tragedy, Antigone questions the laws of man. What is more important: the laws of the state or the ethics of the individual? Who determines right and wrong? Rich in themes of justice, power, family, and gender equality, Sophocles’ classic Greek Tragedy is still as powerful today as it was when first written.

With a contemporary approach to an ancient text, this production blends classical text with movement and image-based story-telling and explores a rich score of ensemble choral voices. The adaptation explores a shattered world touched by both contemporary and ancient times. A collage of poetry and physical theatre, this production is an exciting adventure for all who embark on this epic tale.

*This production contains themes of violence and suicide.

CAST:

Catherine Tait : Antigone
Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk:  Ismene/Chorus
Grace Martins:  Eurydice/Chorus
Katie Cole:  Chorus
Mae Smith: Messenger/Chorus
Samantha Rideout: Guide/Chorus
Tyler Simpson: Guard/Chorus
Taj-Alexander: Crozier Teiresias/Chorus
James Dengate: Chorus/Eteocles
Diego Blanco: Chorus
Heather Janser: Chorus
Colin Williams: Chorus Leader
Tristan Holmes: Creon
Matt Burt: Haemon/Polyneices/Chorus

A HISTORY OF EVERYTHING
by Ontroerend Goed, and adapted by Over Head Theatre

Company members:
Alicia Bender
Whitney Braybrook-Byl
Andria Dearden
Leah Eichler
Juan-Carlos Figueroa
Heather Janser
Holly Kurelek
Ryan Mahon
Emma McCormick
Kristina Ojaperv
Tsipporah Shendroff
Mae Smith
Catherine Tait
Geoff Tuner
Colin Williams 

King Ubu by Alfred Jarry

Translated by David Edney
Directed by David Fancy
Scenography by James McCoy
Costume Design by Jo Pacinda
Sound Design by James McCoy

Alfred Jarry wrote King Ubu in the 1890’s in large part to poke fun at the idiocy, capriciousness and vanity of political and personal power. The character of King Ubu is a complete fool who talks about poop, loves himself a lot and kills everybody around him whenever he feels like it. He is a patriarch, a racist and a megalomaniac.

His wife, Ma Ubu, is very much like Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth and pushes King Ubu to increasing feats of violence and narcissism. When they are not bickering or having food-fights, Ma Ubu demands King Ubu kill off their adversaries and take over the world. They spend the show chasing their enemies all over a fairy-tale-like Poland before sailing off into a sunset.

In short: the Ubus are the ultimate reality TV show gone wrong.

Director’s Notes:
Although this play is over 120 years old, it is almost like its author, Alfred Jarry, could see into the future and predict the very political climate we are living in today. He imagined a scenario where politics and entertainment became indistinguishable from each other: politicians are entertainers, and entertainers become politicians. Jarry’s vision was a world where citizens struggled to tell truth from fiction — a projection eerily similar to the era of “fake news” we find ourselves in at the moment.

When King Ubu originally opened in Paris, France, it caused such a ruckus that it actually also closed on opening night. Jarry would later bring it back to life as a puppet show a few weeks later. Since then, it has been staged thousands of times in countries around the world as an entertaining and powerful political satire. But the play also has a heart: who are these people? Why do they become such trainwrecks? We can laugh at them with recognition of our own follies, but aren’t they just like us? Shouldn’t we also have compassion for their lunacy and folly?

Our creative team in the Department of Dramatic Arts is emphasizing the fact that Ma and King Ubu use all kinds of theatrical means to fortify their power position. As part of our show, we have puppets, oversized animatronic robot faces, karaoke numbers, sing-a-longs and giant catapults launching beachballs into the audience. All of these aspects of the production, combined with intense and moving performances from Brock’s actors-in-training, make for an entertaining experience.

But this show also probes important questions at the heart of any theatrical experience: what does it mean to sit on the sidelines and watch politics as spectacle play out before us? What are my responsibilities as a citizen in the face of a world that seeks to pacify me by entertaining me? And, perhaps most importantly: what will it take for me to have compassion for people who are very different than me?

Plays:

Inside the Department of the Exterior
“An endless wave of bureaucracy spins the power, rules, and postal delivery system in circles from the back corner of an office building.”
Director: Josh Loewen
Playwright: Philip Hall

Another Sense
“Emily is in a coma and Charlotte wants to know why. Emily tries to tell. Charlotte tries to listen.”
Director: Rina Wilkins
Playwright: Melissa Major

Winter Games 
“After watching a hauntingly emotional performance, Mary cannot stand her depressing, small-town life. When faced with her exuberantly positive co-worker Jamie, will she discover something new about herself, or be pushed farther away into her own world?”
Director: Chris Murillo
Playwright: Rachel Bonds

The Worker
“In a world ravaged by humanity and technology, a man and wife discuss the importance of family; but everything is changed when a suspicious stranger arrives. Will they be able to save their marriage, or will it come crumbling down around them?” 
Director: Rachel Frederick
Playwright: Walter Wykes

Baby Factory 
“When the 50’s meets the future, we find a young couple consulting with a passionate doctor about the new way in which ‘Perfection’ can be purchased.”
Director: Tyler Simpson
Playwright: Stephen Bittrich

Nightstand
“Two unlikely strangers— Jack and Jasmine— embark on a journey to find out exactly how wrong things could go on a night out. What appeared to be a fun night is quickly unraveling. These two people unknowingly impact each other but, will never truly get the chance to nurture their new found friendship.”
Director: Uchenna Edozie-Egbuna
Playwright: Fergus Church

One Night Fran
“Holly, Marie and Rachel take you on the journey of a date they’ll never forget. Their interweaving monologues spare no details on their one night with Fran.”
Director: Frances Johnson
Playwright: Adam Szudrich

On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning
“A mother and daughter share a nice cup of coffee before they expose each others darkest secrets and find themselves in a battle for life and death.”
Director: Lauren Reid
Playwright: Alex Dremann