An urgently contemporary adaptation of the classic Greek story, antigone: 方 is inspired by the 2014 Umbrella Movement student protests in Hong Kong and the 1989 uprising in Tiananmen Square.
In antigone: 方, re-education awaits anyone who questions the state's traditional doctrine. Antigone faces high stakes as she stands up for her brother against her father's will.
In the courage of a young woman, there is hope for the future.
Keywords: Greek Drama, Adaptations, Chinese, TYA, Large Cast
Separately, some of the other chorus parts can be gender swapped.
Antigone and Kreon and Ismene must be Chinese. The cast must be a majority racialized group.
"...[Ho's] adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone both relocates this Greek story to reflect Ho’s Chinese heritage and directly challenges the narratives that its audience of 12- to 18-year-olds may be hearing in their classrooms right now, while empowering them to do something to change it."
- Carly Maga, Toronto Star
"Jeff Ho is a gifted, sensitive writer who gets to the heart of complex issues ... And the Antigone story is beautifully integrated into the Chinese references of the protests in Tiananmen square and the umbrella protest in Hong Kong when students used umbrellas to protect themselves from tear gas. It’s political; families are torn by differing view."