“Slaughter the king who likes to strut

Insulting our god. Take knives and cut

That impious throat. Then justice will be done.

The victim is ready. The hunt has now begun.”

 

Note from Lucy, the Director

 

Following the success of our Oxford performance of 'Sparagmos', we were contacted by the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation founded by the internationally acclaimed film and theatre director Michael Cacoyannis in Athens in 2003. One of the main goals of the Foundation is to support innovative ideas, teams and young artists, especially those in the theatre industry, helping them to bring their first creative endeavours to life. The 1st International Proscenium for Students and Youth, at which we were invited to perform our version of the 'Bacchae' was part of the Ancient Drama in 21st Century Education programme, which aimed to highlight the importance and relevance of classical theatre to young people.

 

Attracted by the Proscenium’s outreach aspect, we were keen to show Greek students the impact of ancient tragedy on British theatre. With generous funding from the John Beecher and Albery Funds, Turl Street Arts Festival and the Oxford University Classical Drama Society, the whole team was able to travel to Olympia and perform at the outdoor Drouva amphitheatre on 8 May 2015 alongside troupes from Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Egypt.

 

Our retelling of Dionysus’ bloody revenge on the swaggering King Pentheus was very well-received. Greek actor Vasileios Tsertsidis, who played Creon in a production of Sophocles’ Antigone, commented that our performance was ‘absolutely outstanding’. Calliope Liadi, the Artistic Director of the Proscenium, was equally complimentary: ‘Lucy Rayfield's direction was fresh and spirited, full of lyricism. She succeeded in eliciting elements of both Shakespearean and classic musical theatre to reveal the irony and drama of the ancient text. The actors were wonderful and very expressive, and the whole team worked with extreme professionalism and ingenuity.’ Florence Read, President of the Turl Street Arts Festival, commented that our performance was: ‘a truly unique piece of theatre which did justice to a witty and accessible translation and a beautiful score. . . . Rather than going abroad it felt as if the play was finally coming home to where it belonged, a triumph for the team in every sense!'

 

All of the cast and crew found it to be a wonderful experience. Not only did we enjoy performing our own play, but it was wonderful to witness other interpretations of classical comedies and tragedies by troupes from many different countries. Three to four productions took place daily, with performances by over 160 young actors and their instructors. These plays were appreciated by a wide and diverse audience; most importantly, since entry was free, many young students were able to attend.

 

Note from David, the Translator

 

My adaptation of Euripides 'Bacchae' condenses this tragedy into a running time of one hour, whilst faithfully preserving all the essentials of the play within its basic structure of dialogue alternating with sung choral odes. 

For verse translation I favour rhyming couplets and an easy natural style, avoiding either poetic archaisms or trendy colloquialisms. Above all, no contorted syntax for the sake of the rhyme!

Although rhyme was not a feature of ancient Greek tragedy, it proved invaluable in giving sharpness and clarity to this English version of Euripides' dialogue and to the elaborate patterning of his choral odes

To make Euripides accessible to modern audiences, and especially to young people, my objective is simple, direct language, with the normal intonation of modern English as the basis for the rhythm of the verse. This allows actors to speak their lines with freedom and spontaneity, whilst preserving the rhythmic quality of the original play and exploiting all its emotional intensity. 

Only those who saw the ‘Bacchae’ in Oxford and Ancient Olympia, directed by Lucy and performed by her hugely talented actors, can appreciate just how vibrant and spontaneous these performances were!

 

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