The Classics and Drama departments recently ran a collaborative trip to the Duke of York’s Theatre, to see Elektra starring Oscar winner Brie Lawson (Marvel) in her West End debut. Collaborations like this are an engaging way for students to broaden their thinking and perspectives. With official reviews calling out the “distracting gimmicks and unexplained staging choices [which] hamper some magnetic acting”, there was certainly a lot to discuss!
Lower Sixth student Beni, who studies A Level Drama, shared her thoughts: “One of the most interesting aspects of the exciting Drama and Classics collab was the difference in reaction to the play: Elektra.
“A week before the performance, sixteen students from both Classics, Drama and English departments joined together for a very helpful read-through of the play, in the specific translation [by renowned Classicist and author, Anne Carson] that we would soon see at the theatre. It was intriguing to witness reading being dissected by Classicists, and highlighting parallels to other renowned Greek tragedies (e.g. Medea) was especially useful for some of us in the Drama department, who weren’t as well versed in the plot line or language.”
Miss Van Dal, Head of Classics, adds, “We had a look at some of the key themes of the play such as: expected gender roles of men and women in Ancient Greek society, and the idea of vengeance and whether that is effective justice for crimes committed. We also explored the at times touchy, at times emotional relationships between Elektra and her family members: her mother, deceased father, brother and sister. We enjoyed the immediacy of Anne Carson’s translation – some very vivid imagery and cutting dialogue.”
Beni continues, “Analysing the tone and deeper meanings behind what characters were saying to each other felt familiar to learning a script in Drama, and because of the discussion we had that week, it was much easier to understand what exactly Elektra was saying at the start of the play when it came to watching it.
“Although Brie Larson retained her American accent and sometimes would interrupt her flow of speech with loudly sung words or gunshot sound effects, (an ‘artistic’ take on how Elektra felt towards certain characters, especially when these emotions were strong) I understood the cause of her rage due to our previous discussions of the text, and felt primarily involved with the performance.
“Perhaps because of the modernisation and abstract retelling of a classic, there were points where our expectations and previous knowledge of the play did not align, and it was interesting to hear everyone’s opinions from both departments afterwards.
“Overall, it seemed there was a mutual intrigue about the purpose behind the direction. As Drama students, we were particularly attentive to the minimalist use of set and how actors interacted with space provided, in contrast to the classicists who were particularly focused on the way the story was told.”
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