Handcart Ensemble

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Paul Muldoon on Handcart’s The Burial at Thebes

“I simply can’t imagine a better production of The Burial at Thebes. Handcart Ensemble is a spectacularly gifted group, absolutely equal to the subtleties of Heaney’s text. I’ll go anywhere to see anything they do.” —Paul Muldoon

The Burial at Thebes

A version of Sophocles’ Antigone

by Seamus Heaney

Artwork © Annie Poon

Artwork © Annie Poon

The king of Thebes denies the body of a fallen traitor the washing and burial decreed by the gods. A sister of the fallen openly defies the king’s edict, bringing her and the king into a widening conflict wherein neither will brook compromise in any form.

In this adaptation of the Greek tragedy Antigone, Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney brings out the primal imagery of Sophocles’ phrases, infusing with vitality this ancient drama of state authority colliding with tribal loyalty and religious zeal. In this New York premiere, Heaney’s words will be joined with a live choral score by Nathan Bowen, whose music for Handcart’s Two Yeats Plays was recently nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award. The masks of master designer Jonathan Becker will also feature prominently, linking the innovations of this production with its Greek past.

Podcast

http://www.nyte.org/pcast/nythpod29.mp3 or http://www.nytheatrecast.com/

Photos

View Burial at Thebes photos in a new window

Location

The Salvation Army’s THEATRE 315
315 West 47th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues
New York, NY 10036

Tickets

$18 Friday and Saturday, 8 PM
$16 Thursday, 8 PM
$13 Saturday, 2 PM
$15 Seniors, students

All tickets are general seating. We recommend buying tickets in advance through SmartTix at 212-868-4444 or smarttix.com. SmartTix is the only method of purchasing advance tickets or of buying tickets with a credit card. We will also accept cash at the door on a first-come first-served basis. Please purchase advance tickets.

Cast

Ron Bopst*
Elizabeth A. Davis*
Susan Ferrara*
Matthew Herrick*
Adam Houghton
Tom Knutson
Jane Pejtersen

Director J. Scott Reynolds
Original Music Nathan Bowen
Choreography Andrea Homer-Macdonald
Costumes Cherie Cunningham
Masks Jonathan Becker
Set David D’Agostini
Lighting David Kniep
Stage Manager Erin Williams
Ass’t Costume Designer Samantha Pena

Other Information

Running time is just under 90 minutes. There is no intermission.

The theater is on the ground floor. Wheelchair access from the sidewalk is very easy.

Schedule

The Burial at Thebes opens Thursday, September 7, 2006. Click to visit SmartTix, our ticketing service. Once there, use the pulldown menu on the left-hand side to select the date and time you want. You can also buy tickets with SmartTix via phone at 212-868-4444.

September 2006

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8:00*
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Special Post-show Discussions

Paul Muldoon

† We’re thrilled to be joined on September 9th by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon from Princeton University. He will lead a discussion after the 8 PM performance.

John Harrington

* On September 14th, Dr. John Harrington, Humanities Dean at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will speak after the production.


Script

The script for this play is available at most bookstores, including Amazon.com, in paperback and hardcover.

“In Heaney’s version, the drama is a quick, taut, invigorating read that promises to play well on the stage…. Heaney’s vision of the ethical dilemma of ancient Thebes is lucidly rendered.”
—Jamie James, Los Angeles Times

Copyright © 2001 - 2008 Handcart Ensemble. Last updated September 15, 2006