Updates for the week of December 14
In this newsletter, you’ll find…
A note from co-artistic director, Zeynep Akca
The cast announcement for our next show, Antigone, directed by Ben Natan, founder and co-artistic director
The activist organization we are supporting with this week’s performance
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Note from co-artistic director, Zeynep Akca
This week Ben returns to directing after making his No Exit acting debut with Antigone by Sophocles, the second play in our “Born to Join in Love” micro-season. In this season we are exploring the many different facets of loving one another. Antigone is all about a deep love for family and what happens when that love is challenged by the law.
I am very excited to see what Ben does with this text, adapted and edited to under 90 mins by Christopher Scott. He has an incredible eye for the Greeks and if you have yet to you can still check out his previous work with Iphigenia in Aulis on Facebook. I hope audiences get to connect with the story of Antigone, and the questions the play asks of the world both literally and philosophically, especially in the very modern form of Zoom.
This will be the 15th show in the Fortnightly Reading Series, which started with our very first show — Much Ado About Nothing — on May 1. Join us for a wonderful play and to celebrate a No Exit milestone this upcoming Friday!
No Exit’s Fortnightly Reading Series presents:
Antigone by Sophocles, translated by Christopher Scott
Directed by Ben Natan
Friday, Dec. 18 at 7 PM ET
Run time: Less than 90 minutes, with a Q&A with the artists to follow
Grace Ahlin is Antigone
Ryanne Salzano is Ismene/Teiresias/Eurydice
Anja Avsharian, Chorus
Heidi Tolson, Chorus
Anita Okoye, Chorus
RJ Christian is Creon
Noah Barson is The Watchman/Haimon/The Boy/Messenger
Kassandra Perez is Our Swing
Technical directed by Daisy Phillips.
Organization we’re supporting this week
The director for each show selects an activist organization to support. This week, we’re supporting the Equal Justice Initiative.
Ben Natan, directing:
Antigone is a play about law and justice. Two concepts that feel synonymous, but often run up against each other. It only feels right to support and highlight the work of the Equal Justice Initiative while we work on this play.
Only a few days ago, the federal government executed a man, Brandon Bernard, convicted of felony murder. Felony murder means that Bernard was simply present and “legally” liable for a death he was not personally responsible for. The death penalty is a barbaric, archaic institution by itself, but somehow made even more heinous in the instance of Bernard’s murder by the state.
Once again, we are forced to consider how law and justice are in conflict.
EJI works tirelessly with people on death row to get their sentences commuted. Important work to mitigate the harm of our carceral state and prevent the government from murdering any more people. We are proud to support them and feel it appropriate alongside Antigone.
20 percent of donations received will go to this organization. The remaining 80 percent will be split evenly amongst this show’s contributing artists. You can support our art, our artists, and this organization by donating to our tip jar, @NoExit-TC on Venmo.