BY RYAN CRAIG

TEACHER RESOURCE PACK

INTRODUCTION This is the year when London welcomes the Olympics and amidst the buzz and anticipation there is a renewed interest in the origins of the Olympic Games. Ancient Greece was not only the birthplace of the Olympiad but of theatre, and many of the plays that were written for the Dionysian festivals, held each springtime in the great amphitheatre beside the Acropolis in Athens, have shaped Western European theatre traditions. The Unicorn presents two plays written by Sophocles more than 2000 years ago whose themes and concerns still resonate with contemporary audiences. Ryan Craig’s adaptation of Antigone, How to Think the Unthinkable, and Nancy Harris’s adaptation of Philoctetes, The Man with the Disturbingly Smelly Foot, will be a memorable introduction to these classics of Greek theatre for young audiences. These resources aim to offer context for teachers and students coming to see the plays and to link to and enhance other work teachers might be doing in the classroom.

CONTENTS Pages 2 - 5

Theatre in Ancient Greece

Page 6

About How To Think The Unthinkable

Pages 7 - 8

Preparing to see the show

Pages 9 - 10

Notes from the Director

Pages 11 - 15

Timeline - Counting down to the beginning of Antigone

Pages 16 - 21

Costume and Set designs

Page 22

Further contact details

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THEATRE IN ANCIENT GREECE The beginnings of the theatre as we know it lay in the theatre of Ancient Greece which first began around 508 BCE as a part of the festival dedicated to the god Dionysus. Dionysus, the son of Zeus and the god of wine and vegetation, was a very important god for the Ancient Greeks. Dionysus died each winter and was reborn each spring, mirroring the death and rebirth of nature, and embodying the renewal and rejuvenation of spring. Each year the Greeks celebrated Dionysus’ resurrection with ceremonies and offerings. Somewhere between 530 to 508 BCE the songs and processions that made up the festival to Dionysus evolved to become the first theatre presented to the people of Athens. The very first democratic system of government was established in Ancient Greece and the word democracy comes from the Greek words for people, demos, and rule, kratos. However, in Ancient Greek democracy only men were able to take part as women and slaves were not considered to be citizens. Every male was able to take part in the Assembly and influence decisions on how the city state, or polis, would be run. The theatre festival in honour of Dionysus soon became a very important part of annual events in the new democratic Athens. Each year wealthy citizens were selected to pay for the staging of the plays that competed in the City’s Dionysus festival. Three playwrights were chosen who each had to write three tragedies and a satyr play, which is a light hearted parody of a tragedy. In Ancient Athens a trip to the theatre was much more than an evening of entertainment, it was a religious and competitive event and part of the new formed democratic way of life. The Ancient Greeks built huge outdoor amphitheatres in which to stage these great theatre festivals. The theatres, the most famous of which is the Theatre of Dionysus on the southern slopes of the Acropolis in Athens, could hold up to 18,000 people which is nearly as many as attend a concert at the O2.

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The festival took place over five days each spring. The first day was dedicated to worshipping and giving offerings to Dionysus, then came the competition between the three chosen playwrights. Judges for the festival were drawn from the audience of Athenian citizens in a very particular way: Ten urns represented the ten tribes of Athens. The names of a number of citizens from each of the tribes were put into the ten urns. At the beginning of the festival one name was picked from each urn. These ten citizens would then become the judges of the competition. On the last day of the festival each judge wrote down the names of the playwrights in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place on a tablet. The man in charge of organizing the festival, the archon, drew out 5 of the 10 tablets. The votes were counted and the playwright with the most votes declared the winner.

Photo: Theatre of Dionysus, Athens

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GREEK TRAGEDY Greek tragedies are serious plays that asked big questions about life and looked at the relationship between the gods and humans. Many of the tragedies that were written in this Golden Age of Greece were based on the old myths and the stories of the gods as they had been told and re-told throughout the years by people like Homer whose Iliad and Odyssey are the most famous. The plays would be performed by three actors and a chorus of fifteen people. The three actors, who would have to play more than one part, wore masks with exaggerated features that could be seen clearly in the vast amphitheatres where the plays were performed. The plays were structured to alternate between episodes of the actors’ speech and choral dance songs which commented on what is happening in the action. The chorus would introduce characters as they enter, remind the audience of the power of the gods and humans of their limitations, give advice, and express the views and doubts of the audience.

THE LANGUAGE OF THEATRE It is in the Greek tragedies of this period that Western theatre began to emerge as actors took on roles and pretended to be other people. Many of the English words associated with theatre have their roots in ancient Greek and the theatre that arose out of the Dionysian festival:

theatre chorus episode comedy dialogue scene music tragedy satire character drama mime

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THE GODS, PROPHECYAND GREEK TRAGEDY In Ancient Greek society the gods were powerful and the people believed that they had to honour them with prayers, sacrifices and offerings. In return the gods would help them with whatever challenges they had to face. People would visit an Oracle, a temple where they could ask questions of the gods about the future, and a priest or a priestess would act as intermediary and communicate with the gods to find answers. Priests and soothsayers were also trained to interpret omens, or signs, in the flight of birds, in thunder and lightning or in the entrails of sacrificed animals that could predict the future. If the omens and prophecies were not heeded, the Ancient Greeks believed that events would not go well and it would anger the gods. In Greek tragedy it is not only the action of humans that has an influence on what happens in the play, the action is guided by prophecies and omens. In The Man with the Disturbingly Smelly Foot Odysseus is forced to return to the island where he has abandoned Philoctetes because of a prophecy foretelling that without his skill as an archer the Greeks will never win the war against the Trojans.

FURTHER READING The BBC and the British Museum websites will have more information on Ancient Greece and Greek Theatre.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/arts_and_theatre/ http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/

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HOW TO THINK THE UNTHINKABLE Antigone by Sophocles won the City Dionysia in the year 442 BC and has been considered by many to be the finest of all Greek tragedies. Sophocles' play begins with Antigone and Ismene, her sister, outside the palace walls. For the all male audience made up of Athenian citizens this would clearly signal that something was wrong and the male order has been disrupted as Antigone takes her stand against the King Creon. Sophocles' tragedy about the young woman who stood up against the power of the state to fight for what she believed in has resonated with writers and artists throughout the years. Many adaptations and responses have been written where the universal theme of standing up to the authorities for your beliefs acquires new meaning in the context of each retelling. For example, two versions were written in and around the Second World War by Bertolt Brecht and Jean Anouilh. Brecht's version of the play, set in Berlin in 1945, tells the story of two sisters whose brother has deserted the German army and is found hanged. The sisters need to decide whether to cut his body down and risk punishment by the SS. Anouilh's version of the play, also written during the Second World War, explores the relationship between Antigone and Creon, in the context of resistance and collaboration in Nazi occupied France. The Unicorn Theatre’s production of Ryan Craig’s version of Sophocles' famous tragedy captures the passion, danger and moral deadlock of the story of Greece's most famous teenager. Set in the aftermath of a bloody civil war, Antigone fights for what she believes is right.

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PREPARING TO SEE: HOW TO THINK THE UNTHINKABLE ONLINE VIDEO

One way of introducing your class to the play before the visit to the theatre is to watch the clips on the Unicorn website of some of the actors talking about the roles they play in How To Think The Unthinkable:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8ouPcF9zcI

CHARACTER EXTRACTS These short extracts introduce the main characters and give an idea of the tensions in the city of Thebes at the opening of the play. Hear some of the actors speaking in their first week of rehearsals as they talk about their characters and speak some of the lines of the play.

TOM

PLAYED BY ALEX AUSTIN

Costume design by Signe Beckmann

There's a dead body in the street ...and it's no ordinary dead body by the way. It's the dead body of the Prince Polynices who rose up and led a revolt against the city of Thebes. His own city. Against his own brother King Eteocles. The two brothers fought a terrible, bloody battle. Striking and lashing and clubbing each other until they were both finished. When the dust settled the new King Creon ordered that Eteocles be buried with full state honours. While Polynices' body be left to rot in the street for the rats and the cats, so the soul of the rebel would wander for all eternity in torment, never finding rest......so the whole city would know....that is what you get.....That's what happens to traitors.

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ELDER

PLAYED BY MERCY OJELADE The city is reeling after the recent war. People are nervous and agitated. The uprising of the traitor Polynices, who killed our last King, his brother, has shattered the peace and stability of this city and unsettled us all deeply. They need a firm hand. They need strong leadership. They need to know their King will not be soft on troublemakers.

Costume design by Signe Beckmann

ANTIGONE

PLAYED BY KANGA T BUAH Our brother is slandered as a traitor. His name blackened. His body left to rot in the gutter. His soul left to wander in torture and torment 'til the end of time. I think what is true is true and you should say it. Just like what's right is right and you should do it.

Costume design by Signe Beckmann

CREON

PLAYED BY NEIL SHEFFIELD

I promise you all that I will serve the people of Thebes faithfully and constantly. I'll bring traitors to a brutal justice whoever they turn out to be. I give you my word on that.

Costume design by Signe Beckmann

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DIRECTOR ELLEN McDOUGALL TALKS ABOUT HER APPROACH Ellen McDougall the director of the Greek season at the Unicorn Theatre talks about her approach to the adaptations of Sophocles’ classic tragedies: How To Think The Unthinkable and The Man With The Disturbingly Smelly Foot. How To Think The Unthinkable, our new version of Sophocles’ Antigone explores the question of what is right, and how far would you go to do the thing you think is right. Antigone is faced with the most extreme example of this, where doing what she believes is right will get her killed by Creon, the king. However he is only doing what he believes is right for the people of Thebes. Antigone wants to be loyal to her family, while Creon feels he must be loyal to his country and his people. Costume design by Signe Beckmann

The Man With The Disturbingly Smelly Foot, a re-working of Philoctetes, explores the idea of friendship, and how important loyalty is over ambition. Neoptolemos has a difficult decision to make in the play: to follow Odysseus and the glory of being a great warrior in the Greek army, or to follow Philoctetes who is a loyal and honest friend.

Costume design by Signe Beckmann

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Both of these versions of Sophocles’ tragedies offer a clear and accessible exploration of the characters and stories. They are truthful to the original plots, but both go further into the themes and encourage us to ask questions about the choices we make in life. The language of both is contemporary and funny at times, and the characters are more 'down to earth' than typical classical Greek heroes, whose poetic language can sometimes feel heightened and unreal. We are going to start our rehearsals by looking at who the characters are in the story: what are their backgrounds. Using other Greek myths, it’s possible to create a biography of each character, made up of the different stories they appear in. For example, Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, who had a very difficult life - which is very useful for the actress playing Antigone to know about before we start working on the scenes. See pages 11 - 15 for the timeline. We will also look at maps of Greece to understand more about the places the stories are set in. For Antigone in particular, we are also using references of countries in the Middle East and North Africa who have modern day royal families with political power and unstable political situations, like Tunisia, Libya and Iraq. We will watch videos about being soldiers, as many of the characters have fought in war.

Set design by Signe Beckmann

Set design by Signe Beckmann

I had to find something for the design that could be used in both plays because they are playing in rep. I talked to the designer about the atmosphere of Antigone, which is a city recovering from war and we looked at images of cities and streets which were dusty with the debris of war. Philoctetes is set on an abandoned island and we realised that covering the floor with sand would be a way to create the right – but different atmospheres - for both pieces, as long as we light them differently and use different costumes and props.

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COUNTING DOWN TO THE BEGINNING OF ANTIGONE This timeline counting down to the beginning of the play was created by director Ellen McDougall to be used in rehearsals to help the actors understand their characters.

80 years ago The City of Thebes is founded by Cadmus. It has a massive thick wall around it with 7 gates. It is in the centre of Greece. It quickly becomes a powerful city state, envied by its neighbours, Sparta and Argos. However there are factions of people who live there from before Cadmus arrived. This means there are always tensions within the city, and divided loyalties.

63 years ago Cadmus has a daughter, Jocasta.

48 years ago Cadmus has a son, Creon. Laius invades and becomes King of Thebes, and rules peacefully and prosperously for a number of years. Jocasta (15) marries Laius, King of Thebes, and she has a son, Oedipus King Laius learns that he is doomed to die at the hands of his own son. He has his baby son, Oedipus, abandoned with arms and legs tied together. Oedipus is raised by a childless King in Corinth. Roy is born.

28 years ago Oedipus (20) travels to find out who his real parents were, meets Laius on the road, and kills him. He then goes to Thebes and frees the city from the riddle of the Sphinx, and becomes King. He then becomes King of Thebes and unwittingly marries his own mother, Jocasta, (35). Creon (20) works as advisor, similar to a civil servant, to Oedipus, living in the Palace. The code of this job is similar to that of a civil servant: i.e. being neutral, impartial and permanent in the ruling structure of the city. Roy (20) starts work as security guard at Oedipus’ palace. He gets married and has children. Eteocles and Polynices are born Bo is born.

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25 years ago Ismene is born.

23 years ago Eurydice (17), who is part of the royal family who rule Thebes, is given an arranged marriage to a suitor chosen by her father. She gives birth to a son, Megareus. The father of Megareus dies. Creon and Eurydice start spending more time together and he is good at taking care of Megareus.

20 years ago Creon (28) marries Eurydice (20), who gives birth to a son, Haemon. Megareus grows up in the Palace and Creon adopts him as a son. Eurydice is impressed by Creon’s calm and strategic thinking in his role as Oedipus’ support. Eurydice protects Haemon’s upbringing from the troublesome and chaotic family of Oedipus and Jocasta. They live in a separate wing of the same palace. Tom is born.

18 years ago Antigone is born (Eteocles and Polynices are 7 by now) Antigone and Ismene are close, and play together in the grounds of the palace. Their games are often noisy and Antigone often gets Ismene into trouble. Antigone likes climbing trees and getting dirty in the gardens. Ismene tries to join in but hates getting her clothes dirty. Ismene likes shopping. Polynices is a difficult child and gets into trouble. He hangs out with the wrong type of people and drives around the city playing music loudly from his car. Eteocles studies hard and is somewhat distant from his other siblings. He is engaged in politics and spends time talking to Oedipus and the elders about being a good leader. As a father, Oedipus’ was constantly stating who he was and what his role was. The language he used as father of Antigone and Ismene was very strong and protective of them. Haemon sees Antigone and Ismene playing together, but he is forbidden from joining them. Antigone and Ismene eat strawberries and play in the gardens of the palace (we looked at saddam husseins palace in bagdad as a reference point for our version of the play).

8 years ago Polynices comes back late one night from a night club and comes into Antigone’s room. He wakes her up, kisses her, and gives her a paper flower, saying he got it for her. Antigone treasures this paper flower. A plague breaks out in Thebes. Those who tended to the ill were most vulnerable to catching the disease. This meant that many people died alone because no one was willing to risk caring for them. People were not cared for due to the overwhelming numbers of sick and dying. People were simply left to die in buildings or on the streets, and the dead were heaped on top of each other, left to rot or shoved into mass graves. There were cases where those carrying the dead would come across an already burning funeral pyre. They would dump a new body on it and walk away.

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Oedipus is determined to find out the cause of the plague. He confronts his citizens: ‘Wherever I go I hear sobbing, praying. Groans fill the air…I had to come. I am King. As King, I had to know…for myself. Speak. Are you afraid, old man? What can I give you? How can I help? Ask. My heart would be a stone if I felt no pity for these poor shattered people of mine.’ The plague badly affects the families of Roy and Bo, but they stay loyal to their line of work. Creon worries that the plague also means that Thebes is vulnerable to invasion from city states outside its walls, such as Sparta and Argos. An uprising happens in a nearby state, similar to the recent revolution in Tunisia, started by a market stall seller who set fire to himself. Very quickly it inspires a revolt among the people and the royal family who rule it are overthrown. Creon notes how fragile peace is, particularly in Thebes were there are families and communities who don’t support his families’ rule. Oedipus believes everything must be brought out into the open. This is a world in which the truth must be made public. Creon advises against this, saying everything will be good in its proper time. But Oedipus insists. Creon (Oedipus’ brother in law and uncle) tells Oedipus the plague is because the murderer of Laius was never discovered. Oedipus interprets this as a plot that Creon has constructed against him. He tells Jocasta this, and tries to shift the curse from the murderer of Laius onto Creon. Creon tells Eurydice that he finds Oedipus stubborn, infuriating, and completely inflexible. Bo (20) starts working with Roy as an apprentice security guard at the palace, after completing basic army training.

5 years ago Oedipus finds out Jocasta is his mother, and she kills herself, and he blinds himself with the pins of Jocasta’s gold brooches. Oedipus’s last act is to reach out to his daughters: Creon tells him to let go of them, and Oedipus says he will not let Creon take them from him. Creon tells him he has no power to forbid that and exiles Oedipus. Antigone (15) goes with him as he is exiled, and goes to Colonus – a small town in the mountains where he stays in hiding. Ismene (22) travels between Thebes and Colonus with news for them. Eteocles and Polynices (25) agree to rule alternate years, starting with Polynices. When his year is up he refuses to step down, and is driven into exile in Argos by Eteocles. Ismene gets engaged. They plan to marry the following year.

4 years ago Creon has Antigone (14) kidnapped from Oedipus, in an attempt to get him to give Eteocles his blessing as King, but instead Oedipus curses both his sons. Polynices forms an alliance with the King of Argos, and raises an army of Argives against Thebes

3 years ago A war begins. Tom (17) goes into training with the army

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Haemon meets Antigone in the palace one day alone. Haemon starts his training in the army. Antigone and Haemon begin to fall in love. Tiresias, one of the city elders, warns Creon that if he sacrifices Megareus (18), Eteocles will win the war. Eurydice makes Megareus go into hiding to protect him, but Megareus doesn’t want to appear a coward so he comes back to fight in hiding. In the first battle, Megareus is killed, after Eurydice had warned him not to get involved. Eurydice is very reluctant to let Haemon fight, and manages to stall him from being involved in active combat for a while. Ismene’s fiancée is killed in the war

2 years ago Haemon (18) and Antigone (16) get engaged

1 year ago Haemon (19) leads a battalion that contains Tom, Bo, and Roy. They do not see much action but are stationed close to the palace gates. Tom Roy and Bo are not very good soldiers.

1 day ago, 11am

In the height of summer, both brothers die, in the 7th battle, by killing each other. The war is declared to be over.

1pm Caliphus and colleagues (the elders) agree Creon should become King of Thebes now. He is sworn in as leader in a hasty ceremony when the war is over, before going to speak to the city the following day. They also agree that Antigone and Haemon’s long engagement should end in their wedding the day after, in an attempt to promote a happier and more peaceful atmosphere in the city.

4pm In his first act as King, Creon declares to the city that Eteocles will be given a ceremonial burial, and that Polyneices body is to be left unburied. Creon blesses the body of Eteocles. However he cannot tell which body is which as they are so mutilated. Haemon recommends that his soldiers who he fought alongside should be given the task of securing the area: it is a disgusting job that no one wants to do. Creon agrees to it. He gives the guards explicit instructions that they should guard the body at all times.

5pm Tom, Roy and Bo are given instructions to guard the body round the clock and not allow anyone to bury it by Creon. Haemon is present at this declaration. Tom Roy and Bo set up their watch space and put sandbags around the body to secure the area. They put up security lights that come on if anyone comes near.

6pm The body of Eteocles is given a ceremonial burial. The body is prepared and covered with earth. Incense is lit and prayers are said. The body is burnt on a funeral pyre. This allows the soul of Eteocles to journey to the afterworld. The entire city attend this ritual, including Ismene, Antigone, Haemon, Eurydice and Creon. Tom Roy and Bo are excused from attending so they can stay at the site of Polynices dead body.

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7pm

Sunset. The body starts to stink really badly.

2am

The body stinks so badly that the guards can barely stay near it or keep their eyes open. They nearly pass out. Stray dogs, come and sniff at the body. Vultures circle overhead. They come up with the idea of finding clothes pegs.

4am

They finally agree to draw straws and Tom picks the short straw. He leaves his post to find clothes pegs somewhere in the city.

5am

Antigone sneaks out of the palace, alone, and disguised. She has never been out alone before, and has never walked the streets at this time of the morning. She thinks it looks beautiful. She buries the body by sprinking sand on it and burning incense.

5.15am

Sunrise. Tom returns with clothes pegs.

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Costume design by Signe Beckmann

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Costume design by Signe Beckmann

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Costume design by Signe Beckmann

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Costume design by Signe Beckmann

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Costume design by Signe Beckmann

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Set design by Signe Beckmann

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MORE INFO/CONTACT The Unicorn Theatre offers a range of activities, projects and events that support schools in their engagement with theatre including teacher training, workshops and online resources. To find out more about how your school can get involved, please contact Schools Relationship Manager, Ella on: 020 7645 0500 / [email protected] For the latest information about upcoming shows and events, please sign up to our twicetermly e-bulletin via our website: http://www.unicorntheatre.com To book tickets please contact our Box Office: 020 7645 0560

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