The Signs of a Good Performance

The Signs of a Good Performance

The Bacchae of Euripides, a play by C.K. Williams, told the story of Dionysus's arrival to Greece. In Greek mythology, Dionysus was the god of wine and drunken merriment and the patron of the theater. Early rituals performed in his name often included wild music, dancing, drunken orgies, and bloody sacrifices - all of which were alluded to in The Bacchae. Many rulers of Greece, like Pentheus, the king of Thebes, feared and opposed the rituals being performed in honor of the god of wine. Pentheus confronted Dionysus and tried to put an end to the god's influence. However, Pentheus fell into the hands of his own mother, Agave; her sisters; and other maenads worshiping the god, thus falling victim to his own gruesome death.

UALR's Department of Theater Arts and Dance performed The Bacchae in theater-in-the-round in the Haislip Arena Theater on campus. The set was small and intimate, with the audience seated on all sides of the action. The various platforms implemented by the stage director added originality to the performance. The entire set included a round center stage with two levels, a flat centerpiece, and a bridge that spanned across the black box theater. The intimacy of the space characterized Greek tragedies and help set the atmosphere for the actions soon to take place.

Because of the unique set, the director had to pay careful attention to blocking. Overall, the blocking was very good. Characters like Dionysus utilized the space well. During his opening monologue, Dionysus walked around the stage so that he turned to face every angle, stood tall, and even brought himself to the ground. Throughout the play, the members of the chorus circled the stage and filled the space with their presence and choreographed dance. The chorus personified their dialogue, especially by acting out the actions of the maenads. The actor playing Tiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes, surprisingly navigated the entire stage with her eyes closed. Her movements exemplified those of an old man taking crouched, teetering steps. Cadmus, the father of Agave and grandfather of Pentheus and Dionysus, also moved with slow, deliberate movements, as an old man would.

For the confrontational scenes between Dionysus and Pentheus and the maenads and Pentheus, the actors utilized the arched bridge and the raised platforms at each end of the bridge. This was especially important for the scene where Pentheus was being brutally murdered by his own mother and the other women. From any of the audience's seats, the viciousness could not be seen clearly, leaving room for audience