For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Kuehn, Executive Director
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Phone: (508) 428-0669
Email: David@cotuitcenterforthearts.org
Website: ArtsOnTheCape.org
Sturgis Charter School Presents “Medea” and “Antigone” at Cotuit Center for the Arts
Sturgis Charter School presents two classic Greek plays, “Medea” originally written by Euripides, and
“Antigone” originally by Sophocles, at Cotuit Center for the Arts’ Black Box Theater on Thursday,
February 5, through Saturday, February 7. There will be two performances each day, at 4 PM and 7
PM.
Anna Botsford, Fine Arts Department Lead Teacher, IB theater teacher, and afterschool drama
director at Sturgis West, is directing “Medea,” and Diana Young, IB theater teacher at Sturgis East, is
directing “Antigone.” About 20 students from each school are involved in the productions. Both plays
have been cut to 40 minutes long to meet the requirements of the Massachusetts Educational
Theater Guild Festival, where the plays will be presented on February 28.
Both Botsford and Young have set their plays in the contemporary times through the use of settings
and costumes.
“’Medea’ is about a woman scorned,” said Botsford. “It’s very bloody, very tragic. Medea’s husband
Jason leaves her and their two sons for another woman and threatens to banish Medea from the
village. Medea is so distraught that she kills Jason’s new wife and his wife’s father, using magic,
trickery, and poison. When Jason comes to seek revenge on her, she kills their two children.”
The Sturgis production of “Medea” is a one-act play written by Nelly Cuellar-Garcia, adapted from
the play by Euripides, which was first presented in 431 B.C. “Medea” is now one most frequently
performed Greek tragedies, and has been interpreted as a proto- feminist statement.
“Euripides often wrote about the trials and tribulations of women,” said Botsford, who has set the
play in the late 1960s, the Vietnam War era, on a trailer park commune.
“The kids are having an amazing time,” said Botsford. “We are working a lot with physicality, using a
theory called Viewpoints, in which we use the physicality of our bodies and of the stage space to help
develop character and story.”
Medea will be played by Emma Miller. Jason will be played by Kristopher King. Glauce, Jason’s new
wife, is Julia Adams. Aegeus, the king of Athens, is played by Austin Baake. Nurse is Rachel Walman.
Others in the choruses, or as soldiers, are Stefanie Dorfman, Allegra Davis, Cassie McKay, Anne Healy,
Karen Stewart, Spencer Lawrence, Dick Correia, Daniel Kamb, Nick LeRoy, and John LeRoy.
“Antigone” dates back to 441 B.C. It is a tale of conflict in the aftermath of war. Polyneices and
Eteocles, two sons of Oedipus, have been killed. The brothers had fought on opposite sides during
the war.
“Creon, the new king, has decreed that Polyneices, the rebel brother, should be punished by not
giving him a proper burial, while Eteocles, who fought on the side of the city, should be buried with
honors,” said Young. “Their sister Antigone wants to bury Polyneices, despite the fact that Creon has
also decreed that anyone who buries him will be put to death.
“The play is about the struggle between the laws of man vs. the laws of the gods, family vs.
government, and stubbornness, how Creon stands his ground regardless of the cost. But like every
good Greek tragedy, there is a cost. Bad things happen to Creon as a result of his decision,” said
Young.
Young has set “Antigone” in contemporary times. “The news is full of people destroying their own
communities, human rights violations, and other atrocities, where those who stand up for what they
believe in do not always win,” she said. “We’re working with ideas about the way Greek gods exerted
their punishments on men, and the way the world is crumbling beneath us as we keep tearing it
apart.”
Students in “Antigone” include Sophia Braddel as Antigone, Elizabeth Happel as her sister Ismene,
and Dan Souza as Creon. In other roles are Carissa Wells, Spencer Gayton, Zoe Neal, Ian Law, and Lily
Paradise. In the chorus and as guards, attendants, and a boy, are Peter Keefe, Dean Smith, Anna
Rohlf, Jack Watters, Brett Zimble, Peter McPherson, Molly Nemes, Shayna Leibowitz, and Nick
Bucchianeri.
Young is enjoying working with the students. “It’s a nice dialogue where I’ll make suggestions and the
kids will make suggestion. It’s more of a conversation that me telling them what to do. They are
having a lot of fun talking about costumes and characters, and how to represent the different areas
of conflict.”
Young feels the collaborative experience is a very important one for the students, and that taking
part in a theater production offers many benefits. For this show, the students will gain experience in
working together and in problem solving, as they figure out how to adapt their plays to the intimate
space of the Black Box Theater and the larger stage at the festival.
“Students gain a lot from being a part of a production. They develop confidence, practice public
speaking, and really gain a sense of community from going on this journey together,” said Young.
Tickets are $10, $5 for students and can be purchased by emailing stagetix@sturgischarterschool.org.
Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more information, call 508-428-0669 or
visit artsonthecape.org.
# # #
What:
“Medea” and “Antigone” presented by Sturgis Charter School
Where:
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit
When:
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, February 5, 6, and 7, at 4 and 7 PM
Admission:
$10, $5 for students
END