An Evening of Greek Theatre

In The Hands of the Gods – Sapphire Company

Aged between 11 and 16 Sapphire Company premiered a new piece of writing by the groups Director, Sarah Osborne.  In The Hands of the Gods tells the story of the coming together of the Greek Gods, not for a party as presumed by Dionysus, but to consider the arrogance of man.  The Gods, perched higher than the ensemble cast at the back of the hall giving the impression that they were looking down from Mount Olympus, shared their experiences of the unleashing horror on the world of man. 

A wonderful tableau was created by the actors as we see what happens to the creatures of the world when man is given fire.  The physical representation of Pandora’s box was cleverly presented with some excellent choral speaking by the ‘box and its contents’.   The timing of the movement as the devastation was unleashed was well done and the almost helpless cries of ‘Hope’ as they beg to be rescued from the box allowed the audience to see the challenging ratio of hope compared to the problems and worries of the world.

The group shared the myth of ‘Orpheus in Underworld’ where we see the protagonist, filled with grief, journey to the Underworld to bring back his beloved wife, Eurydice when their marriage is tragically cut short as the bride dies on their wedding day.  Having travelled the river Styx Orpheus meets Hades and Persephone and convinces them to free his wife – without a single prop or piece of stage furniture this group of young people created an impressive visual montage which shared the story and left the audience in no doubt of the challenging journey and heart wrenching sadness of the tale.

Transported to the island of Crete we meet Icarus and his father Daedalus, who want to escape the island where Daedalus has built a labyrinth to house a minotaur which is terrifying Icarus in his dreams. Daedalus, an inventor, creates wings for himself and his son, Icarus, using feathers and wax.  However, Icarus disobeys his father's warnings and flies too close to the sun, causing his wings to melt and he falls into the sea and drowns.  Again a wonderful representation where even the small act of collecting (imaginary) feathers from around the island was technically perfect.

The Gods on their mount were characterful, and it was easy to determine who was who by their mannerisms and speech.  The cast wore only simple ‘costumes’ of everyday wear in muted creams and beige - the togas and jewellery of the mythical kingdom were left to the audience’s imagination and the acting, narrative and creative story telling of these talented young people allowed for the creation of some beautiful theatre.  The group, which featured some young people who were making their debut with Yew Tree Youth Theatre and others who were more experienced worked together well as an ensemble and excellently brought the classics to a community centre in Horbury as if it were the theatre of Dionysus at the Athenian Acropolis.

The Revenge of Eris by Gold Company

This piece which explored the decade long Trojan War, a legendary conflict in Greek mythology, opened with a beautiful peel to send a letter containing the initial news of the war ended in a short narrative sharing an explanation that this was the ‘stuff’ of myths and legends.  The chain of events commences when Zeus fails to select ‘the fairest of them all’ from the vain Goddesses and instead chooses shepherd boy Paris.  Having been promised ‘Helen’ by the vengeful Goddess Eric, Paris heads to Sparta, where he meets champion athlete Hector and his sister Cassandra.  Cassandra’s visionary powers explain that Paris is also their sibling, abandoned by their parents at birth and adopted by the shepherd who found him.  Then war ensues when Paris, now a Trojan prince, takes Helen, the wife of King Menelaus.

This play explores loyalty, trust, betrayal, love, family, revenge, grief and as many emotions as it’s possible to fit into a relatively short piece of theatre, but the young people conveyed all of them though their wonderful poise, perfect delivery and soulful portrayals.    The ill-advised abduction of the queen, the tactical discussion in the arena of war, the cocky Zeus and the meddling Goddesses were all present as this epic tale was re-told by a cast wearing shades of green and combat wear.  The fight scenes had been well -choreographed and the only weapons were identical wooden swords which had been beautifully created by the students of Highfield School (a school for pupil with severe learning needs) showing that community theatre can give everyone an opportunity to share their skills.

This experienced group brought drama, characters and clarity to the story sharing the hope that can be brought to fight against desperation.  The ultimate victory of the Greeks, in the shape of a horse, almost completed the story except for a final movement creating a ship to represent the continuing journey of Odysseus in Homer’s epic tales of The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Technical support was provided by Ash Howick, working with Ashe Lloyd, interlaced the pieces with gentle background music to provide ethereal and dramatic soundtracks to emphasise the onstage atmosphere.

Both plays were written by Director Sarah Osborne, whose work to create wonderful pieces of theatre whilst also supporting the young people to grow as individuals, to come together as an ensemble and to develop as actors who have excellent diction and a solid foundation in acting skills, is testament to her commitment to all that is good about youth theatre.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.