Director: Alex Cheung, Yip Man-lai
Playwright: Alex Cheung
Institution: Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, China
Venue: ATEC Website
Time: 09:30, May 18, 2019
Event: The 4th World Theatre Education Conference with 6th Asian Theatre Schools Festival
Director’s Notes
It’s a story about morality and courage
It’s a story between the country and the individual
It’s a story about power and God’s respect / family love
It’s a story of a woman contending with her destiny
The script of more than two thousand years ago, until today in the 21st century
It still has its universal value and power
Synopsis
The story begins with Antigone’s two brothers who are against each other in their battle for the throne. When King Creon ascends the throne, he decrees that the dead brother, Polynices, should not be buried. Antigone defies the King’s order and their conflict ends in tragedy. Antigone was written by Greek playwright Sophocles some 2,500 years ago. It is a story about the Doric Order, about the Aegean Sea (Αιγαίο Πέλαγος), and about ‘to be or not to be’. The adapted play Antigone on the Beach tells the familiar story from a new angle. ‘Silliness is the starting point, pleasure the approach, and joy the result.’ This guided collective creation by students also includes a nod to the three unities of ancient Greek poetics.