Title, Premiere and Location

AN ANTIGONE STORY (a greek tragedy hijack) premiered March 10, 2000 at The Getty Center in the Harold M. Williams auditorium.

Written By

Adapted by Shishir Kurup from Sophocles and Jean Anouilh

Performed at The Getty Center and at the Subway Terminal Building in downtown Los Angeles.
A version of the Greek classic set in 2015 Los Angeles. Featuring eight original songs, the production was commissioned by the Getty Center. LA Weekly and Los Angeles Times “Best of 2000” lists.

Synopsis

Shishir Kurup wrote and directed this version of the Greek classic set in 2015 Los Angeles. Featuring eight original songs, the production was commissioned by the Getty Center. During the initial run, Page Leong (Antigone) was injured and performed in a wheelchair. Her injury and the chair were integrated into both the original production and a remount done later at the Subway Terminal Building in downtown Los Angeles.

Staff

Written/Appropriated and Directed by Shishir Kurup

Song Composers - Shishir Kurup and Paul James

Set and Costume Design by Christopher Acebo

Lighting Design by Geoff Korf

Sound Design by Paul James

Choreographyer - Ken Roht

Videographer - John J. Flynn

Musical Director - Steven Argila

Production Managers - Paul James and Geoff Korf

Production Designer - Peter Schaaf

Executive Producer - Leslie Tamaribuchi

Producer - Tamar Fortgang

Associate Producer - Damion Teeko Parran

Production Stage Manager - Bridget Kirkpatrick

Assistant Director - Susan Finque

Assistant Stage Manager - Lisa Teichner

Lighting Assistant - Celeste Thompson

Cable Puller - Eva Goransson

Running Crew - Aleyda Carranza

Cast (Getty Center Production) March 2000

Cast (Subway Terminal Building) July 2000

Comments by cast, crew, and other participants.

AN ANTIGONE STORY featured a really amazing (and upsetting yet uplifting) detour in the form of a leading lady who was crippled shortly before opening. During the final dress rehearsal before opening that night while jumping onto the stage as she raced across the theater toward Krayon, Page Leong slipped on a CD at the edge of the stage and crashed onto the lip of the stage at the Getty, severing her patellar tendon. I can still remember the sound that made...gives me chills!

Opening night was cancelled but the show went on the next day since she couldn't have an operation till the following Wednesday. A couple hours of restaging for the wheelchair that morning with the director wheeling Page through the show allowed for two shows to be performaed that Saturday and Page Zenning the performance which was both emotional and raw. This was indeed a loss for a dancer/actress and as she worked through her recovery from a very painful and debilitating knee surgery the whole experience was integrated into the show by Shishir and the cast. Although Page was somewhat ambulatory by the time the remount happened downtown, Antigone remained in her chair. There wasn't any editorializing about this in the show: it was just there...which was its own message. A very Cornerstone message, I'd say.

This production was one of several I had the pleasure to create video for, and I was sort of off the leash. Shishir had scripted a news broadcast and a "psychic" show (starring "Tyreeseeus"), and we shot those...and then added a whole set of phony ads and promos that I made up based on the world Shishir's "Hijack" suggeted. There was Dr. Benway's Home Drug Test Kit for your kiddies, a promo for televised executions, and a kit that would allow parents to select the hair and eye color of their next baby.

The show featured some really fine writing: Shishir wrote several monologues (one in particular about how life just goes on despite the machinations of our leaders), all chilling and some prescient in light of the events the following year (i.e. 9/11).

Subsequent Performances or Productions

Performances (all 2000): The Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA;Subway Terminal Building, downtown Los Angeles.

Special Notes

Articles, Reviews, and other Links

LA Times Review:

http://articles.latimes.com/2000/aug/01/entertainment/ca-62248