Antigone

The play Antigone by Sophocles and its story are classic. In a modern Slovanian language adaptation, it is contemporary in its concern with young women’s status and development as well as governmental politics. In its presentation, it is up to date, as well, in use of projections and cell phones for messaging and picture taking.

Jakob Podjavorsek cold-bloodedly dominates as Creon, the absolutist ruler who’s decreed the corpse of his defeated foe Polynices must ignominiously lie unburied. Antigone, the dead man’s sister, has buried and performed funeral rites over him. Julija Plemenitas Potocnik’s Antigone, though young and happily engaged to Creon’s son and heir Haemon (staunch Davorin Juhart), is committed to obeying Zeus’s law first and foremost.

Creon’s stubborn self-interest in preserving his power clashes with Antigone’s selfless desire to do what’s morally right. Her sister Ismene (Veronika Kukovec, humble) develops into accepting the same morality. Davorin Juhart’s handsome, bright Haemon comes to share his loved one’s light, though in the dark tomb. Corpses will litter the stage floor.

The production satirizes Creon’s reliance on sycophants, whom he threatens to kill if they fail to obey his commands. Sanja Kresojevic’s competent Chorus Leader gives both pertinent and “fake” news and calls to mind crooked communications managers in modern governments. The set, mainly through projections, bespeaks such communications, sometimes with satirical effect.

In a comparatively text-centered presentation, a special place for projecting translated dialogue and other information is very useful. One problem is a screen posting tweets in back of speakers on center stage often draws attention away from the projections of text at house-right. Surtitles over the center screen would solve this somewhat vexing problem.

Another problem: Teiresias the prophet who looks backward (Nika Celan, strong) doesn’t seem blind, thus destroying a Sophoclean irony.

Slovenia’s contribution to the AACT WorldFest 2018 is unusual as a secondary school contribution to the schedule. The actors fare quite well beside more seasoned and older casts. They’ve obviously learned a great deal and, with generous technical help, share their learning.