Janet Newman ’27

by Janet Newman ’27 on November 7, 2024

Providence College presented Bertolt Brecht’s adaptation of The Antigone of Sophocles for their fall play. The powerful blend of ancient themes and modern interpretations in Antigone captivated the audience and compelled them to critically reflect on society. Despite this play being written in 441 BCE, Brecht took several liberties while adapting the ancient storyline. He deemed it necessary to change some aspects of the play to fit into the contemporary world. 

Brecht was a German playwright, poet, and director born in 1898. He is best known for developing epic theater, which prompts social change through rational thought. Brecht accomplishes this through his alienation technique, also called “ion” or “verfremdungseffekt.” In this technique, he removes the emotional experience of the story and encourages the audience to critically reflect on the issues presented.

Brecht spent much of his adolescence working in Germany. However, after Hitler took power in the 1930s, he was forced to flee to Prague due to his brand of social art. Despite his relocation, Brecht was able to utilize epic theater in Prague to express his opposition to Hitler and the fascist movements in Europe. After World War II, the first showing of The Antigone of Sophocles took place in Switzerland. In this production, Brecht displayed Creon as a tyrant who exemplified an inability to feel guilt and accept his mistakes. 

In this production, Brecht employed epic theater to urge the audience to reflect on the horrors of World War II. The protagonist Antigone, played by Maisie Cocker, inspires the audience to reflect on the hopeless nature of oppression both in the play and in our current society. In America, negative feminist discourse is a recurring topic that needs to be addressed. So, Brecht’s thought-provoking play asks audience members to seek answers as to why there is still a negative connotation of the word feminist.