Lysistrata
Sat, 21 Jan 2006, 05:06 pmWalter Plinge1 post in thread
Lysistrata
Sat, 21 Jan 2006, 05:06 pmPRESS RELEASE
Class Act Theatre presents
LYSISTRATA
A MODERN ADAPTATION
"The first time it was fathers, the last time it was sons, and in between your husbands marched away with drums and guns..." (Adelaide based singer/songwriter, Judy Small)
"Tits and clits: that's all they're looking for” is the accurate translation of the opening line of Aristophanes comic masterpiece Lysistrata, according to much vaunted director Stephen Lee.
"The ancient Athenians spoke very broadly and bluntly, in a way that would seem inappropriate today. Aristophanes was a brilliant and clever comic writer, and to wantonly mess around too much with the meat of his play would be madness. So whereas our (adapted) heroine speaks of passionate feelings in the women’s loins, you can bet that the original had a mention of juices flowing from their… and you get my drift! In updating the references, I have occasionally been a little less direct with choice of words. But I have still attempted to keep the action and dialogue of the play as close to the original as possible.”
“We live in a world as full of war and danger as fifth century BC Athens, and it is astonishing how much more pointed the criticisms are when we talk of Russia, Iraq, Bush and September 11. In this way we restore the original intentions of a writer who also saw a world fraught with war and danger - for this reason I have adapted the play and brought it bang up to date.”
When Aristophanes wrote Lysistrata, Athens had been at war for 20 years. Although the play is light-hearted, it was written out of the poet's grief over the thousands of Athenians who had recently lost their lives in a terrible defeat at Syracuse. “Aristophanes wrote his master work as a plea for common sense. It is, in a way, a kind of fairy tale: what would happen if all the women on both sides of the war, held out from sleeping with their men until peace was concluded?”
March the 20th this year marks the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, and the question remains: will George BushÂ’s War on Terror drag on as long as the Peloponnesian War that inspired Lysistrata?
In a contemporary twist on Aristophanes theme, by March 8th this year (International WomenÂ’s Day), The Women Say No to War Campaign will have gathered some 100,000 signatures, , which US and Iraqi women will deliver to leaders in Washington DC, and right around the globe women will also deliver them to US embassies.
Angelique Malcolm who will play the title role, suggests "I'm sure Aristophanes would smile wryly, that in the 2500 years since he first suggested such a burlesque solution, The Women Say No to War Campaign is the first historic attempt to bring women together across borders to demand an end to bloodshed".
This production also features Equity Guild Award winner Shirley Van Sanden (best actress 2004), and Equity Guild Award nominees Stephen Lee (best director 2005) and Dan Luxton (best actor 2003). The rest of the cast consists of Graham Mitchell, Kate McGinniskin, Claire Munday, Steve Havercroft, Rebecca Bradley, Annabelle Tan and Summer Williams.
“His (Aristophanes) plea for peace, despite its comic presentation, is both heartfelt and necessary. As necessary today in fact, as it was nearly two and a half thousand years ago.”
Venue: The Bakery Artrage Complex, 233 James St, Northbridge
Season: February 24 – March 11, 2006 (Tue-Sat) 8pm
Bookings through Class Act Theatre: 9337 2060
Tickets:
$15/$20 School Groups only $10 per head
Contact: Angelique Malcolm 9337 2060 or 0411 122 064
Class Act Theatre presents
LYSISTRATA
A MODERN ADAPTATION
"The first time it was fathers, the last time it was sons, and in between your husbands marched away with drums and guns..." (Adelaide based singer/songwriter, Judy Small)
"Tits and clits: that's all they're looking for” is the accurate translation of the opening line of Aristophanes comic masterpiece Lysistrata, according to much vaunted director Stephen Lee.
"The ancient Athenians spoke very broadly and bluntly, in a way that would seem inappropriate today. Aristophanes was a brilliant and clever comic writer, and to wantonly mess around too much with the meat of his play would be madness. So whereas our (adapted) heroine speaks of passionate feelings in the women’s loins, you can bet that the original had a mention of juices flowing from their… and you get my drift! In updating the references, I have occasionally been a little less direct with choice of words. But I have still attempted to keep the action and dialogue of the play as close to the original as possible.”
“We live in a world as full of war and danger as fifth century BC Athens, and it is astonishing how much more pointed the criticisms are when we talk of Russia, Iraq, Bush and September 11. In this way we restore the original intentions of a writer who also saw a world fraught with war and danger - for this reason I have adapted the play and brought it bang up to date.”
When Aristophanes wrote Lysistrata, Athens had been at war for 20 years. Although the play is light-hearted, it was written out of the poet's grief over the thousands of Athenians who had recently lost their lives in a terrible defeat at Syracuse. “Aristophanes wrote his master work as a plea for common sense. It is, in a way, a kind of fairy tale: what would happen if all the women on both sides of the war, held out from sleeping with their men until peace was concluded?”
March the 20th this year marks the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, and the question remains: will George BushÂ’s War on Terror drag on as long as the Peloponnesian War that inspired Lysistrata?
In a contemporary twist on Aristophanes theme, by March 8th this year (International WomenÂ’s Day), The Women Say No to War Campaign will have gathered some 100,000 signatures, , which US and Iraqi women will deliver to leaders in Washington DC, and right around the globe women will also deliver them to US embassies.
Angelique Malcolm who will play the title role, suggests "I'm sure Aristophanes would smile wryly, that in the 2500 years since he first suggested such a burlesque solution, The Women Say No to War Campaign is the first historic attempt to bring women together across borders to demand an end to bloodshed".
This production also features Equity Guild Award winner Shirley Van Sanden (best actress 2004), and Equity Guild Award nominees Stephen Lee (best director 2005) and Dan Luxton (best actor 2003). The rest of the cast consists of Graham Mitchell, Kate McGinniskin, Claire Munday, Steve Havercroft, Rebecca Bradley, Annabelle Tan and Summer Williams.
“His (Aristophanes) plea for peace, despite its comic presentation, is both heartfelt and necessary. As necessary today in fact, as it was nearly two and a half thousand years ago.”
Venue: The Bakery Artrage Complex, 233 James St, Northbridge
Season: February 24 – March 11, 2006 (Tue-Sat) 8pm
Bookings through Class Act Theatre: 9337 2060
Tickets:
$15/$20 School Groups only $10 per head
Contact: Angelique Malcolm 9337 2060 or 0411 122 064