The 14-member student cast of the new production of “The Bacchae” at Valparaiso University’s Center for the Arts describes the 90-minute centuries-old story and the characters as relatable to the resurgence of mythical heroes now popular in feature films at the box office.
Jilaine Heitkotter, 22, a senior from Hanover Park, Ill., appears in the chorus and likens a connection between the central characters in the play to the tormented heroes from today’s comic book and sci-fi inspired movies such as “Thor” and “X-Men.”
“There’s a similar theme that’s relatable for the Greek gods and superheroes when you think about what it means to be born with superpowers, along with the responsibility,” Heitkotter said.
“There are always struggles to overcome in every life.”
Performed April 6-9 and directed by Andy White, Valparaiso University Professor of Theatre, “The Bacchae” was first written in 405 B.C., and according to White, is considered one of Euripides’ “most poetically beautiful as well as thematically difficult plays.” It offers a message of condemnation of religious excess and the importance of moderation, he said.
“The Bacchae” details the Greek myth of King Pentheus of Thebes, played in this production by freshman Scott Nolan, 19, of Griffith, and the punishment delivered by the god Dionysus, played by senior Frank Caputo, 22, of Bensenville, Ill., because of slander spread questioning Dionysus’ status as god and doubts about his family heritage as the son of Zeus.
“I read the play last year, along with some of the other cast members, when we were enrolled in our theater culture course,” Caputo said.
“The play demonstrates how confused the world can become and how society can be damaged by the spoken word, based on what people believe and accept as the truth.”
White said the idea to include “The Bacchae” among the spring semester productions came last year after he used the work in his fall 2015 theater course.
“I can’t recall this piece being done any time recently, with the exception of a classroom staging in the early 1990s,” White said.
“We haven’t produced many of the Greek plays in recent years. One of the last was in 2001, directed by Dr. John Stephen Paul, when the theatre department did ‘Medea.’ Unless you plan to go to Chicago, there really aren’t many stages in this area for an audience to see a classic Greek play. For example, last semester, I took my some of our theater students to Court Theatre in Hyde Park (Illinois) to see one of their most recent Greek play productions.”
White said the set and scenery for “The Bacchae” are minimal, yet creative, with audience impact to compliment the performances by the cast. The student and faculty creative team includes scenic designer Eric Barker, assistant scenic designer Genevieve Dornemann, lighting designer Kyle Techentin, assistant lighting designer Rayne Deardorff, costume designer Ann Kessler, assistant costume designer Sarah Leho, costume crafts artisan Elly Walsh-Rock and makeup design by Courtney Boembeke and Sarah Leho.
“Much of the staging of the scenes are centered in a large circle we’ve created on stage, filled with ground cork,” White said.
“With the movement of the actors, the cork naturally shifts and scatters, and underneath, a red painted finish can be seen which represents what is a bloody symbolism of the conflict.”
Draped to the back of the stage is what looks like netting, but what is really a clever repurposing of everyday materials.
“We’ve hung erosion ground cover which is used in landscaping and added some dyed cheese cloth to allow for added depth in the background,” White said.
“When the lighting effects are applied, it works well. In the Ancient Greek productions of this play, it would be have been done with masks and stilted shoes. Our production is more a real concept, but still includes some of the primitive touches.”
White said this production will be entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, a national theatre education program to identify and promote quality in college-level theatre production and providing opportunities for selected students and faculty to participate in scholarships, internships, grants and awards.
Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
‘The Bacchae’
When: 8 p.m. April 6-7 and 2 p.m. April 8-9
Where: Center for the Arts, 1709 Chapel Dr., Valparaiso University, Valparaiso
Cost: $15 and $10 for students
Information: 219-464-5213 or www.valpo.edu
