The MV Drama department unveiled a modern adaption of Sophocles’ ancient 400 BC Greek tragedy “Antigone” on Thursday, Nov. 20 and Friday, Nov. 21, marking its first show of the year. The show was held in MVHS’ Black Box, the final production before it is set to be renovated in June. Student actors, set designers and Drama teacher Hannah Gould spent months bringing the play to life.
The play follows the story of a country in political turmoil after a civil war, in which the King’s niece, Antigone, seeks to bury her brother who died during the war in defiance of the King’s orders to frame him as a traitor. Directed by Gould, the production reframes the classic political tragedy through this year’s departmental theme: “the problem with perfection.” Gould said the adaption — written by New York-based playwright Matt Minnicino — offered the ideal lens.
“In the drama, Creon, the king, is obsessed with creating a perfect kingdom: everybody in line, no dissenting voices,” Gould said. “But when you’re trying to control perfectionism too tightly, things tend to turn out exactly the opposite of what you want. So this play is really about surrender — accepting what you can’t control, accepting that life is hard and unpredictable, and that the path forward comes from acceptance.”
Minnicino’s script removes archaic Greek verse and blends old and new aesthetics, creating what Gould describes as an “anachronistic” world. MV Drama added its own details — dramatic and comedic beats in sound design — and meaningful changes: splitting Creon, the traditionally singular authoritarian ruler, into three actors, each representing a different aspect of Creon: the father, the manipulator, and the face of the three.
“One of our students suggested splitting Creon into three, and it just felt perfect,” Gould said. “That became our big modification. The role was written for one person, but Greek plays are all about the chorus and the ensemble. We also had so many really talented students to highlight. Dramatically, it made sense — fighting somebody in that position of power is like fighting three different people that have so many resources at their disposal.”
Preparation for the show began in the third week of school and was majority student-ran. The cast rehearsed in class through table reads, blocking sessions and scene work, while students with technician roles designed and constructed every element of the show. Scenic paintings, sound design, props, costumes and projections were all created by the three different Drama classes.
“We don’t have a big budget — basically no budget — and we don’t have extra hands to outsource things,” Gould said. “A lot of theaters buy sets or rent costumes, and while it looks polished, it can feel a little soulless. What we do is we ask ourselves, ‘OK, what do we have?’ and ‘What can we make out of this?’ Everything in this show was built by students working together, sharing ideas. So, everything we make feels authentic, because everyone’s time and care and attention went into it. That spirit is in line with the heart of the play: it’s grassroots, the people rising. I love that it’s created in this way.”
Senior Shannon Yu played the lead role Antigone, marking her first production with MV Drama after auditioning at the end of junior year for Advanced Drama Honors. She dove into the world of musical theater at the beginning of 2025, and backed by experience in last year’s MVSNL and small productions led by her church, she was inspired to seize the opportunity to join MV Drama for her last year of high school.
“It’s surreal to play the lead role,” Yu said. “I’m so blessed. I feel so lucky to be able to do this in the first place. I would have been fine with any role, literally any role, no lines. That is good with me. I just like being on stage, being able to perform and to bring some kind of emotion to people. I love that, and that is what makes me so happy about performing.”
Yu said she especially appreciates the female focus of the play, which she highlights was first written and performed in a time where women could not take the stage. Her own role, Antigone, was originally performed by a man, so she is excited for the way the modern adaptation emphasizes female representation.
“I am an absolute, huge feminist,” Yu said. “I believe that this role says a lot about age, featuring a young woman going up against an older man, and also about gender, because it’s that kind of conflict that we see here. It’s also very telling to me that this is a strong character who’s unafraid to make her morals known to the world. She’s unafraid to face death, just because she loves her brother so much. I have an older brother, and I love him a lot. So that was an immediate connection and equivalency that I could make for my acting.”
Yu said that despite rehearsing for months — often staying at school until 7 p.m. for the last few weeks — the cast kept spirits high through backstage traditions and friendly banter. Still, she hopes the audience feels the seriousness behind the comedy. Similarly, for sophomore Josh Pullara, who plays Creon’s anxious intern, the production’s modern setting offered a chance to explore the line between fear, loyalty and resistance from a more critical lens.
“My favorite part has to be when the intern finally figures that it’s not worth it to stick with Creon, the dictator king, in the end, and tells the Creon that his actions were incorrect, given the fact that he still had time to repeal his decisions,” Pullara said. “The play stands out because it’s serious subject matter that stays but is also down to earth. It requires that we ground ourselves a little.”
Gould said that she is very proud of how everyone improved at adapting to little mishaps with props or lines in difficult scenes, making changes as needed in the moment, and in terms of overall performance.
“They’ve been working so hard, and I can be kind of a Creon sometimes, and want everything to be perfect,” Gould said. “This theme is really a reminder for me. So, at this point, we’re really shifting the dial into, ‘You guys, it’s awesome. Like, it’s so good, you’re amazing.’ And really, it’s no longer time to worry about fixing things, now it’s time to just enjoy it and be proud of all the hard work that everybody’s put in and just have fun with it.”
