ASU Theatre announces cast for Seamus Heaney's 'The Burial at Thebes'

Jan. 20, 2010 -- The ASU Theatre announces the cast of the February production of “The Burial at Thebes,” by Irish Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney.  Heaney’s play is a version of Sophocles’ fifth-century tragedy “Antigone.” “The Burial at Thebes” will be performed at Fowler Center Friday-Saturday, Feb. 12-13 and Tuesday-Wednesday, Feb.16-17 at 7:30 p.m.  A “meet the company” dessert reception will follow the Feb. 12 opening night performance. All performances will take place in Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro.

Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, is faced with a terrible choice when her brothers Eteocles and Polyneices slay each other in battle. Her uncle, Creon, has declared that one brother, Etocles, be honored and buried, and the other, Polyneices, be left unburied. Defying Creon’s edict, Antigone buries Polyneices. Creon condemns her to death, and she is walled up in a tomb. Eventually, Creon reconsiders his death sentence, but it is too late. Antigone has taken her own life, and the tension between personal and familial loyalty and duty to authority continues to play out with tragic consequences for Creon.

The ASU Theatre’s production of “The Burial at Thebes” is under the stage direction of Tim Bohn, assistant professor of Theatre. Scenic design is by Jeff McLaughlin, assistant professor of Theatre; lighting design is by Bob Simpson, professor of Theatre, and Alex Poynor, a senior Theatre major from Jonesboro, will serve as costume designer. Manuel Angeles, a senior Theatre major from Little Rock, will serve as technical director. Stage management duties for the production have been assigned to Amy Penny, a senior theatre major from Jonesboro.

The cast includes Kayla DuVall, a sophomore theatre major from Hot Springs, as Antigone; Whitney Conley, a freshman theatre major from Paragould, as Ismene/Eurydice; Ben Griffin, a sophomore theatre major from Benton, as Creon; Matt Morgan, a sophomore Theatre major from Jonesboro as Guard; Freddie Fulton, a freshman theatre major from Little Rock, as Haemon; James Kaut, a junior theatre major from Jonesboro, as Tiresias; and Daniel McFadin, a freshman theatre major from Springdale, as Messenger/Boy. The chorus includes Aleigha Morton, a junior theatre major from Searcy; Ashlea Armstrong, a freshman theatre major from Searcy, Bridget Bolton, a freshman theatre major from Chicago, Ill.; Cecily Sullivan, a sophomore theatre major from Cabot; Lauren Emerson, a senior theatre major from Jonesboro; and Drew Bradbury, a freshman theatre major from Hot Springs.

All seating is reserved, and tickets for reserved seating may be purchased in advance at the ASU Central Box Office in the Convocation Center, or by calling 972-ASU1. Tickets are also available online at http://www2.astate.edu/tickets/ --click the ticket icon or the tickets tab in the menu bar.  Reserved seating tickets, if available, may be purchased at the door on the evening of the performance. Ticket prices for ASU Theatre’s 2009-10 season performances are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended.
 
Children younger than six years old are not admitted to the ASU Theatre. Please arrive early; latecomers will not be seated until intermission.
 

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