ANTIGONE in Harvard Stadium

Witness a spectacle of unprecedented proportions as the ARTS FIRST Festival takes Harvard Stadium by storm with a new translation of Sophocles’ ANTIGONE featuring an original theatrical score. Take part in a tradition dating back 2,500 years in one of the largest classical amphitheaters in America, modeled after the original Stadium of Athens, as we celebrate the arts and civic engagement in all its forms. This event is FREE and open to the public at 6:30 pm April 29 in Harvard Stadium — no tickets or reservations required.

Widely considered one of the greatest dramatic texts in the history of world literature, Antigone’s story is the story of disobedience — the one standing against the many. It presents the epic collision of the rights of private conscience and the structures of public law. Written over two millennia ago, Sophocles’ tragedy enacts the universal tensions of honor and duty, individual and public, personhood and statehood, that continue to shape the political and social culture of our world today. At risk of death, Antigone seeks justice for her deceased brother Polyneices, left to rot unburied by her uncle Creon, the King of Thebes. She disobeys the will of the people, the law of the land, and the decree of the tyrant to defend her personal rights and those of her loved ones. ANTIGONE is a seminal work of feminist literature that depicts the power of female agency. Her actions set in motion a chain of events that lead to the shattering of her family and the fall of the house of Oedipus.

This public art performance event will feature the monumental inflatable sculptures of visual artist Claire Ashley of the Art Institute of Chicago. A full Greek chorus and orchestra, performing an original score by composer Mateo Lincoln, will accompany the action against the Romanesque backdrop of the stadium. Spanning the world of theater, music, dance, and visual art, ANTIGONE will feature a combination of student, faculty and professional performances. An original translation by undergraduates in the Harvard Classics Club combines Sophocles’ highly expressive poetic language with dramatic import and modern sensibilities. A masterpiece in its own right, this translation launches ANTIGONE into the heart of contemporary discourse.

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