Antigone (Wednesday Theatre)

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"Antigone"
Wednesday Theatre episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 31
Directed by Patrick Barton
Based on Antigone
by Sophocles
Original air dates20 July 1966 (1966-07-20) (Melbourne) [1]
3 August 1966 (Sydney) [2] [3]
24 August 1966 (Brisbane) [4]
Running time70 mins
Episode chronology
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"Mr Byculla"
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"Antigone" is a 1966 Australian TV play directed by Patrick Barton. [5] It was made to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of Greek Theatre. [6]

Contents

Plot

Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, is sentenced to death by Creon, King of Thebes, for defying his orders and burying the body of her dead brother.

Cast

Production

It was filmed in Melbourne. [7] Barton said the role of Antigone "is usually reserved for the stage's established stars. But Liza is quite staggering." He aimed to make the production as realistic as possible and based costumes on photos of peasants in Crete and Greece. [4]

Reception

The Age thought Westwell "did not quite succeed in projecting the intensity of the personal conflict" and the Goddard "seemed over emotional." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophocles</span> 5th century BC Athenian tragic playwright

Sophocles was an ancient Greek tragedian, known as one of three from whom at least one play has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those of Aeschylus; and earlier than, or contemporary with, those of Euripides. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays, but only seven have survived in a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, Women of Trachis, Oedipus Rex, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus. For almost fifty years, Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in the dramatic competitions of the city-state of Athens which took place during the religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. He competed in thirty competitions, won twenty-four, and was never judged lower than second place. Aeschylus won thirteen competitions, and was sometimes defeated by Sophocles; Euripides won four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antigone</span> Daughter of Oedipus in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Antigone is a Theban princess, and a character in several ancient Greek tragedies. She is the daughter of Oedipus, king of Thebes. Her mother is Jocasta. In another variation of the myth, her mother is Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene. The meaning of the name is, as in the case of the masculine equivalent Antigonus, "in place of one's parents" or "worthy of one's parents". Antigone appears in the three 5th century BC tragic plays written by Sophocles, known collectively as the three Theban plays. She is the protagonist of the tragedy Antigone. She makes a brief appearance at the end of Aeschylus' Seven against Thebes, while her story was also the subject of Euripides' now lost play with the same name.

<i>Antigone</i> (Sophocles play) Tragedy by Sophocles

Antigone is an Athenian tragedy written by Sophocles in 441 BC and first performed at the Festival of Dionysus of the same year. It is thought to be the second oldest surviving play of Sophocles, preceded by Ajax, which was written around the same period. The play is one of a triad of tragedies known as the three Theban plays, following Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus. Even though the events in Antigone occur last in the order of events depicted in the plays, Sophocles wrote Antigone first. The story expands on the Theban legend that predates it, and it picks up where Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes ends. The play is named after the main protagonist Antigone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oedipus</span> Mythical Greek king of Thebes

Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creon (king of Thebes)</span> Figure in Greek mythology

Creon, is a figure in Greek mythology best known as the ruler of Thebes in the legend of Oedipus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ismene</span> Mythological princess of Thebes

In Greek mythology, Ismene is a Theban princess. She is the daughter and half-sister of Oedipus, king of Thebes, daughter and granddaughter of Jocasta, and sister of Antigone, Eteocles, and Polynices. She appears in several tragic plays of Sophocles: at the end of Oedipus Rex, in Oedipus at Colonus and in Antigone. She also appears at the end of Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes.

<i>Oedipus Rex</i> Classical Athenian tragedy by Sophocles

Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus, or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Greeks, the title was simply Oedipus (Οἰδίπους), as it is referred to by Aristotle in the Poetics. It is thought to have been renamed Oedipus Tyrannus to distinguish it from Oedipus at Colonus, a later play by Sophocles. In antiquity, the term "tyrant" referred to a ruler with no legitimate claim to rule, but it did not necessarily have a negative connotation.

<i>Oedipus at Colonus</i> Ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles

Oedipus at Colonus is the second-last of the three Theban plays of the Athenian tragedian Sophocles. It was written shortly before Sophocles's death in 406 BC and produced by his grandson at the Festival of Dionysus in 401 BC.

Jean Anouilh's play Antigone is a tragedy inspired by the play of the same name by Sophocles.

<i>The Phoenician Women</i> Ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides

The Phoenician Women is a tragedy by Euripides, based on the same story as Aeschylus' play Seven Against Thebes. It was presented along with the tragedies Hypsipyle and Antiope. With this trilogy, Euripides won the second prize. The title refers to the Greek chorus, which is composed of Phoenician women on their way to Delphi who are trapped in Thebes by the war. Unlike some of Euripides' other plays, the chorus does not play a significant role in the plot, but represents the innocent and neutral people who very often are found in the middle of war situations. Patriotism is a significant theme in the story, as Polynices talks a great deal about his love for the city of Thebes but has brought an army to destroy it; Creon is also forced to make a choice between saving the city and saving the life of his son.

<i>Œdipe</i> (opera) Opera by George Enescu

Œdipe (Oedipe) is an opera in four acts by the Romanian composer George Enescu, set to a French libretto by Edmond Fleg. It is based on the mythological tale of Oedipus, as told by Sophocles in Oedipus the King.

<i>Oedipus the King</i> (film) 1968 film adaptation of Sophoclean tragedy, directed by Philip Saville

Oedipus the King is a 1968 British film adaptation of the Sophoclean tragedy Oedipus Rex, directed and co-written by Philip Saville. It stars Christopher Plummer as the title character, Orson Welles as Tiresias, Lilli Palmer as Jocasta, Richard Johnson as Creon and Donald Sutherland as the leading member of the Chorus, though the latter's voice was dubbed by Valentine Dyall. Saville's first theatrical film effort, the film remained highly theatrical in nature, and is known for its intensive dialogue typical of an ancient play.

"A Time to Speak" is a 1965 Australian television film, which aired on ABC. It is a period drama set around 1900. It was written by Noel Robinson. This was the third production to appear in three weeks. It aired on 7 April 1965 in Sydney and Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antigone (Mendelssohn)</span> Suite of incidental music by Felix Mendelssohn to Sophocles play

Antigone, Op. 55, MWV M 12, is a suite of incidental music written in 1841 by Felix Mendelssohn to accompany the tragedy Antigone by Sophocles, staged by Ludwig Tieck. The text is based on Johann Jakob Christian Donner's German translation of the text, with additional assistance from August Böckh.

"Point of Departure" is a 1966 Australian television film. It screened as part of Wednesday Theatre. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time. "Point of Departure" aired on 22 June 1966 in Sydney, on 29 June 1966 in Melbourne, and on 27 July 1966 in Brisbane.

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"The Empty Day" is the 22nd television play episode of the first season of the Australian anthology television series Australian Playhouse. "The Empty Day" was written by Pat Flower and produced by John Croyston and originally aired on ABC on 12 September 1966 in Sydney and Melbourne, and on 17 October 1966 in Brisbane.

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References

  1. "Television". The Age. 20 July 1966. p. 14.
  2. "WEDNESDAY". The Canberra Times . 1 August 1966. p. 16. Retrieved 11 February 2020 via Trove.
  3. "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 August 1966. p. 15.
  4. 1 2 "The girl who defied a king". TV Times. 17 August 1966. p. 30.
  5. "Untitled". Tribune . New South Wales. 3 August 1966. p. 11. Retrieved 11 February 2020 via Trove.
  6. "Playhouse Series Could Shift Drama from Doldrums". The Age. 10 March 1966. p. 26.
  7. "LOVELY LIZA". Tribune . New South Wales. 7 September 1966. p. 10. Retrieved 11 February 2020 via Trove.
  8. Monitor (30 July 1966). "Antigone and Atoms". The Age. p. 36.