Download how to think the unthinkable

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
1.
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.
2.
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
3.
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
4.
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/
5.
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.
6.
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.
7.
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
8.
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
9.
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.
10.
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.
11.
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.
12.
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
13.
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.
14.
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.
15.
Costume design by
Signe Beckmann
16.
Costume design by
Signe Beckmann
17.
Costume design by
Signe Beckmann
18.
Costume design by
Signe Beckmann
19.
Costume design by
Signe Beckmann
20.
Set design by
Signe Beckmann
21.
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
22.