WORCESTER — Serey Kremer of Princeton is starring in the play “Iphigenia” at the College of the Holy Cross.
Presented by the college’s Department of Theatre and Dance, “Iphigenia” is the inaugural theatrical production of the newly completed Prior Performing Arts Center, an 84,000-square-foot, $110 million facility designed to be an incubator for multidisciplinary learning and creativity.
The in-person production, directed by Edward Isser, distinguished professor of ethics and society, is set for Nov. 3-5 and 10-12 at 7:30 p.m., as well as Nov. 6 and 13 at 2 p.m. in the Boroughs Theatre.
“Iphigenia” combines two plays by Athenian playwright Euripides — “Iphigenia at Aulis” and “Iphigenia Among the Taurians” — with material from Homer’s “Iliad” to tell the story of King Agamemnon’s eldest daughter.
Iphigenia is a young girl who sacrifices herself for a hollow and meaningless endeavor, the Trojan War, and becomes an embittered, murderous avenger who is miraculously redeemed by her love for her brother. Translated by Professor Mary Ebbott of Holy Cross’ Department of Classics, this production transposes the action to the latter half of the 20th century and explores how the idealism of the young is exploited in pursuit of the cynical ends of their elders.
“By mounting an experimental adaptation of a Greek tragedy, we hope to model the possibilities and potential of the new performing arts enter to become the physical and spiritual crossroads on campus where the aesthetic and the corporeal interact; praxis engages theory; the profane and the transcendent collide; and the ethical is illuminated in enactment,” said Isser. “In ‘Iphigenia,’ we have created a new version of an old story that seeks to honor the cultural and historical foundation of the art form while exploring the technical and theatrical potential of this new, world-class facility.”
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit: hctheatreanddance.eventbrite.com.
