Trojan Women (after Euripides), a new version of one of the greatest anti-war dramas of all time, will be the sixth annual outdoor theatrical production in the Getty Villa's Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater. New York-based Siti Company, one of America's leading ensemble theater companies, will perform an original retelling of Euripides' ancient Greek tragedy, in the world premiere of a Getty-commissioned production. These performances will mark one of Siti Company's rare appearances on the west coast. Directed by the company's artistic director Anne Bogart, the play features original music composed by Christian Frederickson and a text adapted by playwright Jocelyn Clarke.
The cast includes Siti Company members Akiko Aizawa (as Kassandra), J. Ed Araiza (as Menelaus), Katherine Crockett (as Helen), Gian-Murray Gianino (as Odysseus), Leon Ingulsrud (as the Envoy), Ellen Lauren (as Hecuba), Barney O'Hanlon (as the Chorus), Makela Spielman (as Andromache), and Brent Werzner (as Poseidon).
"The Getty Villa directly channels the lessons of antiquity into our contemporary culture. Their embrace of our Trojan Women is fierce and passionate," says Anne Bogart. "I am honored and thrilled to be bringing this new/old play to life on the hillside in front of this Museum that cares with great intensity for the valuable lessons and artifacts of the distant past."
Besieged for ten years by the fierce armies of Greece, the legendary city of Troy has fallen in a single night, the victim of clever Odysseus and his wooden horse. Morning finds Queen Hecuba and the royal women of Troy-having witnessed the slaughter of their husbands and sons-held captive by triumphant Greek soldiers.
Jocelyn Clarke's new adaptation focuses principally on the four royal survivors: the imperious queen Hecuba, her prophetic daughter Kassandra, her noble daughter-in-law Andromache, and Helen of Sparta, the paramour of Hecuba's cursed son Paris. Like the ancient drama on which it is based, Trojan Women (after Euripides) serves as a timeless meditation on suffering and survival, and examines the choices that separate death and life, despair and hope, and past and future.
"We are delighted that the widely respected Siti Company is premiering its new adaptation of Trojan Women at the Getty Villa this season," says Claire Lyons, acting senior curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum. "Theater was a fundamental part of religious and social life in the ancient world, and as the Villa's theater program shows, Classical drama still resonates powerfully with contemporary playwrights, actors, and audiences."
Performances of Trojan Women will be held Thursdays through Saturdays, September 8 through October 1, 2011, with previews from September 1-3. Tickets are $42.00 ($38.00 for students and seniors). Ticket prices for the previews are $25.00. Tickets go on sale today (July 1) and are available by calling (310) 440-7300 or online at www.getty.edu.
New for this year's outdoor theater production: the Cafe at the Getty Villa is introducing newly expanded dining options, including a special pre-theater prix fixe sit-down dinner. More information on this and other dining more casual options can be found on the Getty's website, where reservations can be made for the prix fixe dinner.
About Siti Company
Siti Company is an ensemble theater company that focuses on the creation of new work, the training of young theater artists, and a commitment to international collaboration.
Founded in 1992 by Anne Bogart and Tadashi Suzuki to redefine and revitalize contemporary theater in the United States through an emphasis on international cultural exchange and collaboration. Originally envisioned as a summer institute in Saratoga Springs, New York, SITI has expanded to encompass a year-round program based in New York City with a summer season in Saratoga.
Through the practice of collaboration, Siti Company believes that a group of artists working together over time can have a significant impact upon both contemporary theater and the world at large. Through their performances, educational programs and collaborations with other artists and thinkers, Siti Company will continue to challenge the status quo, to train to achieve artistic excellence in every aspect of their work, and to offer new ways of seeing and of being as both artists and as global citizens.
Siti Company is committed to providing a gymnasium-for-the-soul where the interaction of art, artists, audiences and ideas inspire the possibility for change, optimism and hope. For more information visit www.siti.org.
About the Annual Outdoor Theater Performances
The Getty Villa's annual outdoor theater performance is part of an innovative theater program that enhances the visitor's experience of the ancient world. Live performances of classical drama offer insight into the social, cultural, and political realities of life in ancient Greece and Rome. In the galleries, the works of art serve to deepen the connection between modern audiences and the mythical stories underlying the tragedies and comedies on stage.
In addition to the annual outdoor classical theater production, the Getty Villa's indoor auditorium is host to the Villa Theater Lab and Villa Play-reading series of performances in the winter and spring that explore innovative approaches to the classical canon.
