The 39th Annual Classical Greek Theatre Festival
EURIPIDES’ THE BAKKHAI
Translated by Robert
Bagg
Directed by Larry West
Sept. 19, 20, 26 & 27, 2009 - 9:00am at Red Butte Gardens
Sept. 21, 2009 – 5:30pm at BYU
Sept. 23, 2009 - 7:30pm at Weber State
Arguably the most horrific,
powerful and theatrical of all Greek tragedies, THE BAKKHAI
is perhaps also the most controversial and hotly debated
Euripidean tragedy. At its center are the god Dionysus, the god of
wine, music, dance, theater and ecstasy, and a chorus of initiates who
proclaim his greatness and his gifts. In opposition stands the
teen-ager Pentheus (=Mr. Pain), a disturbed and disturbing young
tyrant who rejects the god Dionysus and all he stands for. Euripides’
plot treats the triple confrontation between the two antagonists and
then follows Pentheus to the mountain where he encounters the maenads,
his mother and his aunts and sees what he should not see. Two
messenger speeches describe the actions of the maenads, and the final
movement of the play shows the audience the dire and dreadful results
where horror and beauty are bizarrely combined. In the end so many
questions remain, especially regarding the ambiguous and paradoxical
nature of the god Dionysus.
This fall director
Larry West will mount and tour the Classical Greek Theater Festival’s
(CGTF) production of Euripides’ mysterious tragedy The Bakkhai to
be produced September 15-October 15, 2009. This touring production
features students from our acclaimed Actor Training Program and
professional faculty members as director, dramaturge and designers.
With its performances here in Salt Lake City on September 19, 20, 26
and 27 at 9:00am at Red Butte Gardens, in Provo at BYU in the de Jong Concert Hall
September 21st at 5:30pm, and in Ogden at WSU in the
Wildcat Theater September 23rd at 7:30pm (and
additional venues under consideration), CGTF makes a significant
impact on the University of Utah curriculum, the state of Utah and an
expanding regional audience.
For more information contact:
James Svendsen
Associate
Professor, Languages & Literature
(801) 581-4607
jim.svendsen@mac.com
or
The Department of Theatre
801-581-6448
Tickets for The Classical Greek Theatre
Festival, and all Department of Theatre productions
are available through Kingsbury Ticket Office,
581-7100 or www.kingtix.com
For Individual Tickets: $13 General Admission,
$10 Faculty and Staff,
$7 Students
Ticket information.
