Public Horror: THe Monstrous Other and Antigone in Ferguson
Nathan Bowman
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NATHAN BOWMAN is an indigenous theatre artist and musician from Kansas City, MO. Nathan holds a MA in Religious Studies and a PhD in Theatre from the University of Kansas. Nathan is the co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of Kansas City Public Theatre, a non-profit professional theatre company that produces all of its work free-of-charge to the public. He is also an instructor of theatre and religious studies at Park University. Nathan has worked professionally in Kansas City area theatre for over a decade and has trained at The Second City in Chicago and trains with the New York based SITI Company in the Suzuki-Viewpoints method of acting. Nathan has worked and presented internationally in Montreal and in Greece as an actor and director, most recently directing his adaption of The Trojan Women at the Ancient Theatre of Oiniades and presenting at the Athens Institute of Education and Research. Nathan's current research interests are highlighted in his dissertation "Spectacles of Horror: Approaching the Supernatural in Greek Tragedy" where he examines how the modern genre of horror might inform a director's approach to producing Greek tragedy for modern audiences.
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Abstract
Belief in the power of the dead to affect the world of the living permeated ancient Greek culture. The works of Greek tragedy are rooted in a worldview which accepts the power and control that unseen, dead forces have over the physical world. In this essay, I examine how the production Antigone in Ferguson, presented by Theater of War Productions, explored the role of the unseen dead in public life, utilizing the ancient themes of unseen supernatural forces to challenge the social and ethical assumptions of its audiences. Theater of War, through its timely adaptation of Antigone, challenged its audiences to reconsider their views of the dead by bringing into question the qualities of Otherness associated with the dead character Polyneices. In doing so, Theater of War offered its audiences a worldview which sees the dead as an active, suffering force in the public life.
Belief in the power of the dead to affect the world of the living permeated ancient Greek culture. The works of Greek tragedy are rooted in a worldview which accepts the power and control that unseen, dead forces have over the physical world. In this essay, I examine how the production Antigone in Ferguson, presented by Theater of War Productions, explored the role of the unseen dead in public life, utilizing the ancient themes of unseen supernatural forces to challenge the social and ethical assumptions of its audiences. Theater of War, through its timely adaptation of Antigone, challenged its audiences to reconsider their views of the dead by bringing into question the qualities of Otherness associated with the dead character Polyneices. In doing so, Theater of War offered its audiences a worldview which sees the dead as an active, suffering force in the public life.
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