Antigone

"When the State becomes one man, it ceases to be a State"

This production is an edited edition of Don Taylor’s translation

Further information can be found at Micheline Steinberg Associated

The conflict between the state and the individual is both ancient and timeless. First performed two-and-a-half thousand years ago, Antigone has been re-written, re-published, re-translated, and re-staged countless times. It has travelled from the amphitheatre to the opera house, from the stage to the screen; it has appeased fascists in Nazi-occupied France, and challenged the establishment in 21st-century Britain. Now, it falls to us to bear witness to Antigone’s story.

Translated eloquently by Don Taylor, Sophocles’ tragedy presents its audience with the clash of two compelling figures: Creon, the charismatic tyrant of Thebes, prizes the survival of the city above all; Antigone, his rebellious niece, champions the sanctity of personal conviction. As the conflict plays out, tragedy ensues, and the twin loyalties – to the family (oikos) and to the state (polis) – are brought to bear with devastating consequences.