The 39th Annual Classical Greek Theatre Festival
EURIPIDES’ THE BAKKHAI
Translated by Robert
Bagg
Music by Joe Payne
Directed by Larry West
Sept. 19, 20, 26 & 27, 2009 - 9:00am at Red Butte Gardens
Sept. 21, 2009 – 5:00pm at BYU
Sept. 23, 2009 - 7:30pm at Weber State
Study Guide.pdf
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Photos by Amy Oakeson
Center: Andy Rindlisbach as Dionysus,
L: Ryon Sharette as Pentheus, R: Gabi Gaston as Agave.
Click on picture for high resolution
verion.
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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, a disturbed and disturbing young tyrant who
rejects the god Dionysus and all he stands for. Euripides’ plot treats
the three confrontations between the two and then follows Pentheus to
the mountain where he encounters the maenads and sees what he should
not see. Two messenger speeches describe the actions of the offstage
maenads, and the final movement of the play shows the audience the
macabre 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’s
production of Euripides’ mysterious tragedy is a juxtaposition of the
ancient and the modern. Under the direction of Larry West, with a
bold translation by Robert Bagg and original music by Joe Payne, the
Classical Greek Theatre Festival presents Dionysus as a superstar and
the chorus as crazed fans. This touring production features students
from the University of Utah acclaimed Actor Training Program and
professional faculty members as director and designers. Performances
are scheduled in Salt Lake City at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheater
on September 19, 20, 26 and 27 at 9:00am, in Provo at BYU in the de
Jong Concert Hall September 21st at 5:00pm, and in Ogden at
WSU in the Wildcat Theater, Shepherd Union Bldg. September 23rd
at 7:30pm.
TICKETS for
the Red Butte Garden performances (students & members $7, U of U
faculty/staff $10 and general $13) are available at
www.redbuttegarden.org
and at the door.
The Bakkhai will perform rain or shine at
Red Butte Garden.
