Event
Revenge and Sorrow in Thebes
Flying Elf Productions presents "Revenge and Sorrow in Thebes" by Persephone Vandegrift. Revenge and Sorrow in Thebes is inspired by and adapted from the Greek classic, "The Bacchae of Euripides."
Directed by Heidi Heimarck, Founding Artistic Director of Seattle's Mae West Fest, and Ellen Graham, participant in the Sundance Playwright's Lab and also a Mae West Fest director/producer.
Persephone Vandegrift is a Seattle playwright, poet and short fiction writer. She is a three time Notes and Grace Notes poetry & fiction winner. Her work has appeared in Capricious Quills, Indite Circle, Remark Poetry, Megalithic Poetry, In Travel Magazine, and will appear in upcoming Notes and Grace Notes anthology - Root Exposure, and in San Diegos Wash House Collective anthology - Lavanderia: A Mixed Load of Women, Wash, and Word.
With "Revenge and Sorrow in Thebes," Vandegrift breathes new life into the tragic tale of Pentheus and Dionysus. In this adaptation, the god Dionysus has set his sights on returning to Thebes to introduce his celebratory rites. However he has heard that the new young King Pentheus will not allow it. Pentheus refers to Dionysus as merely a sorcerer of cheap tricks. Pentheus forbids the city any celebration, or mention of Dionysus. But when the god arrives in Thebes, his presence sends the women into the hills in a Bacchic frenzy. Pentheus will not have his city embarrassed by this event and sends his army to recapture the women. It is the first of his many mistakes. Eventually, Pentheus strategy spins out of control. He tries to arrest the 'boy who is masquerading as a god' and orders his men to attack the women. His men fail. By this time Dionysus is furious with Pentheus's lack of respect for him. He lures Pentheus into surprising the women as they are in the height of their frenzy.
It is Pentheus's final mistake. His mother, Agave, is among the frenzied women. Pentheus calls out to her but she does not recognize him as her son and attacks him, tearing him apart, and parades him through the city as a fine beast. When Agave realizes what she has done, the shame and horror of it breaks the heart of the city. With his revenge satiated, Dionysus is set to leave Thebes. Before he does, he decides to pay one last visit to Agave in order to gloat of his success. But even in the mythological world, he soon finds that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Starring Annex Theatre's Jennifer Pratt as Agave, TPS's Tom Dewey as Pentheus, Second Storey Theatre's Matthew Riggins as Dionysus, Outside the Box's Carolynne Wilcox as Autonoe, as well as the talents of Bert Matias as Tiresias, and Curtis Eastwood as Cadmus.
*Flying Elf Productions is not affiliated with Stone Soup Theatre. This is an independent production.
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LocationStone Soup Theatre "Downstage"
4029 Stone Way Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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