Vanguard Productions presents: ANTIGONE

By Mary Boyle

Vanguard Productions made a splash in the Milwaukee theatre scene back in 2022 with their concert performance of All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 by Peter Rothstein.  What was meant to be a single production turned into a new company, founded by George Lorimer and Joshua Pohja, which returned this past holiday season to mount a glorious full production of All Is Calm, with the intent of making it a yearly offerring.  The new company has hit the ground running with a series of APEX Classes and Readings, the most recent of which was Jean Anouilh’s ANTIGONE, adapted by Lewis Galantiere and directed and re-imagined by Joshua Pohja.

Two shows, back-to-back, one night only.  The actors had very little time with the script and even less time with each other – particularly Gregory Linington (King Creon), who jumped into the performance to cover a sick actor at the last minute.  The location was Calvary Presbyterian Church in Milwaukee, and the set was laid out as a theatre in the round, the audience surrounding a long table.  The cast was a mixture of mainly First Stage Young Company alumni and a couple of seasoned regional actors.

Anouilh’s Antigone is based on the tragic tale by the ancient Greek Sophocles.  Antigone (Chantae Miller) is a princess of Thebes and the daughter of Oedipus (yep, that guy).  Oedipus has died, and the kingdom of Thebes had been ruled by Antigone’s two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, who were supposed to rule the kingdom on alternate years; however, when Polynices’ turn came up, Eteocles refused to yield, and the brothers killed each other in combat.  Oedipus’ brother, Creon (Gregory Linington), became the new king; his wife, Eurydice (Maya Danks), the queen.  Eteocles was given a hero’s burial, while Polynices, Creon ruled, was to be left to rot.  In fact, anyone attempting to bury him will be put to death. 

Antigone’s nurse (Shanti Lleone) realizes that Antigone is not in her bed early in the morning and finds her coming in from outside.  Her sister, Ismene (Josie Trettin), joins them and tells Antigone that they must not go and bury their brother, as Antigone had suggested, but what we soon learn is that Antigone had already gone out and done it.  While she waits for Creon’s men to come for her, she meets with her fiancé, Haemon (Jake Badovski), the son of Creon, to tell him that, although she loves him, she will not be marrying him.  Eventually, the Guard (Elliott Brotherhood) comes for Antigone and Creon is shocked that the agitator is his own niece. Will he actually put her to death?

This dramatic reading was spellbinding.  The Chorus, Leo Madson, was the youngest performer, but had a lion’s share of the lines, and he did it with great intensity and passion.  George Linington was the ideal commanding presence as Creon, while tiny Chantae Miller was perfectly cast as his opposition: the fierce, indignant, and rebellious Antigone.  Although she had not a single line, Maya Danks’ performance as Eurydice must be commended – it was a long time to sit so poised and knitting, emanating the emotions being thrown around the table.  Elliott Brotherhood created a much-needed tension break as the bumbling guard, while Jake Badovki’s performance as the tortured Haemon was heartbreaking.  Josie Trettin and  and Shanti Lleone rounded out an overall incredibly talented cast. 

My one complaint of the evening was the sound, which was also an issue at All Is Calm.  The cavernous space of the church has an echo affect that made it difficult to understand all of the words unless an actor was facing you directly, despite the addition of sails of fabric strung from the ceiling, which did not seem to help the sound, but did make a dramatic tent-like affect over the staging area.  Hopefully, this issue can be solved, because it seems that Vanguard is working to make a theatre home at Calvary Presbyterian.  With their upcoming APEX Classes and more performances on the horizon, I’m excited to see what this talented group does next!
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Learn more about Vanguard Productions shows and actor training at: https://www.vanguardmke.com/
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