Plunging into the most tragic of the ancient Greek dramas, “Oedipus,” the Canadian actor and director of Hellenic origin, Andreas Apergis, is returning, once again, with Montreal’s Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre Company following the group’s award-winning productions of “Medea” and “The Bacchae.” This new translation of Sophocles’ masterpiece, directed by Apergis, is adapted by Joseph Shragge from a literal translation by Lynn Kozak with musical direction by David Oppenheim and original composition by Brian Lipson.
Celebrating the company’s 10th anniversary, “Oedipus Part One: Assembly,” the third in their Greek tragedy trilogy, unites gifted local theatre artists who have performed with the company over the years. The cast members, many of whom are no stranger to Centaur audiences, include: Chip Chuipka, Alison Darcy, Gitanjali Jain, Marcel Jeannin, Leni Parker, Mike Payette, France Rolland, Theoharis ‘Harry’ Standjofski, Melissa Trottier, Janet Warrington and Brett Watson. Sharing the stage is Choeur Maha, the Zakynthines Phones Choir and The Montreal Artists Choir.
“Oedipus Part One: Assembly” is a powerful depiction of a city-wide crisis centering on King Oedipus’ quest to rid Thebes of a devastating plague brought on by a mysterious curse and who's pursuit of its cause has far reaching consequences for the city and for himself. The play opens with a group of citizens supplicating at Oedipus’ palace gates, but we quickly learn that these protests are occurring throughout the metropolis. It is against this backdrop of civic collectivity that the truth of Oedipus' violent past and present taboo-filled turmoil comes to light.
This performance, the first of a long-term creative development project, will re-focus on the play’s civic notion of public assembly, asking what it means to be part of a large scale appeal to power. The work will also give nuance to the general public's long-held perception of “Oedipus Tyrannus,” moving away from 20th-century Freudian readings of the play and suggesting it, instead, as a lens for examining 21st-century participatory culture.
Coming together onstage to sing the choral odes are three community choirs: the lauded Choeur Maha, an innovative women’s choir with a feminist mandate that has performed across the city since 1991, the Zakynthines Phones choir, an all-male Hellenic Community Choir that sings a repertoire of traditional Greek music and the Montreal Artists Choir, a musical chorus formed from the extended Montreal theatre community expressly for this production.
The following discussion with director Apergis was intended to shed light on his inner emotions and feelings about the production.
What made you choose Oedipus' tragedy for this show?
“I’ve directed Medea, The Bacchae and Antigone. Oedipus Is considered the biggest and best of the Greek tragedies and the most famous. My theatre company wanted to do another Greek tragedy and Oedipus, for the above mentioned reasons, was an easy choice to make.”
Who is Oedipus for you? What do you see in him?
“I see Oedipus as a good man who has something terrible happen to him through no fault of his own. His downfall is the result of his own noble and honourable determination to find King Laios' killer and save his city from a terrible plague. He continues to pursue this goal, even after it becomes clear to him that, doing so, will result in his own destruction.”
Who is Jocasta? What do you see in her?
“Jocasta is played by France Rolland. In her, I see a woman who has had to pay the ultimate price because of a prophecy (and give up her child). I also see a mother who lost a child, not once, but twice, and this is very moving.”
What inspires you towards the most tragic tragedies of ancient Greek theatre? After Medea you went to Oedipus...
“I love the theatricality of Attic tragedy and its ability to still move modern audiences. The public’s reaction to Medea and the Bacchae were so overwhelmingly positive it inspired me to do more. Thematically, Greek tragedy speaks to the core of the human condition and espouses a philosophy that appeals to me that no one is happy until dead. Our modern society puts so much value in people being happy but the Greeks understood that it is not possible to be happy all the time, or wise, for that matter.”
How did you come up with the idea of incorporating “western” Greek music voices into this performance, The Zakynthian ones, I mean...
“We wanted to include community choirs to represent the chorus of Theban elders in the play. There is a mass gathering of citizens at the beginning of the play who have come to the palace to implore the king to take action against the plague and save the city from its destruction. The participation of the Zakynthines Phones as part of the chorus fits the action of the play and also brings a part of our community into the theatre and that has great personal meaning to me.”
What is it for you, an accomplished actor and director, to carry on your Hellenic heritage in the multicultural society that is Montreal?
“I am proud of my Greek heritage and, anytime time I can connect it to my work in the theatre, it is my way of giving back to a community and a culture that has defined me.”
Oedipus Part One: Assembly (three performances only).
Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre production at the Centaur Theatre Brave New Looks selection for 2017.
453 rue St François-Xavier.
Friday, Oct. 20th and Saturday, Oct. 21st at 7:30 p.m.
Matinee: Sunday, Oct. 22nd at 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $15, 514-288-3161, centaurtheatre.com/brave-new-looks.html.
Early bird discount: to honour Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre’s 10th anniversary, tickets are $10 (instead of $15) if purchased by phone before Oct. 6 using the code word ‘anniversary.’
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Pictures from Andreas Apergis facebook page