Union University’s MainStage put on Sophocles’ “Antigone” this past weekend in the W.D. Powell Theater. Continuing MainStage’s efforts to maintain theater on campus, the play featured a cast of students from various majors and drew audiences for four performances.
The Greek tragedy follows a struggle between young Antigone and the king of Thebes, Creon, over the burial of Antigone’s brother. MainStage’s production reimagines the story with a 1940s military setting. This creative decision was aimed to make the play’s themes more relatable to modern audiences while reinforcing MainStage’s commitment to thought-provoking storytelling.
Directed by Maren Taylor, a senior nursing major, the play featured a predominantly underclassmen cast, with many students performing on stage for the first time.
“I got to just kind of raise them up and help teach them and help grow them,” Taylor said.
“Antigone” also pointed to the growing presence of MainStage. Andrew Richardson, a freshman digital media communications major who played Creon, noted that the program has gained increased recognition.
“By far, I think this is probably the most advanced play we’ve done,” Richardson said. “We’ve been having lots of sellout shows.”
That growth extends beyond audience numbers. MainStage Vice-President Amy De Groot, junior public relations and history double major, spoke on the shift in participation.
“When we started out, every single person who came to auditions got cast, and we had to bring in more people and plead for them to do our show,” De Groot said. “But now we’re having people come in who are so talented that we’re actually having competitive castings.”
The student-led initiative of MainStage relies on interconnectedness and shared leadership to grow. With no official theater department to support it, Mainstage’s success hinges on its members adapting, listening and building a lasting community.
Taylor believes “Antigone” helped do exactly that.
“Doing a show like this that is classic and a little bit refined lets people know us a little bit more,” Taylor said. “We’re still building our reputation and our community so that one day, when all the people that were here when it started are gone, it can still run and hopefully thrive.”