‘Bacchae’ tackles wine, women, and murder

Austin Community College is preparing to unleash “Bacchae,” a Greek tragedy that features women caught up in a ritual madness, who take to the hills in a frenzy of intoxication, sex, and ultimately, violence, in worship of the god of wine, Dionysus.

“I have wanted to do this play at ACC since I arrived in 2000,” says Shelby Brammer, Drama Department chair. “When Arthur Adair walked into my office to interview for a faculty position, I knew I had found the right director.”

In “Bacchae,” Euripides tells the story of Dionysus in his confrontation with the young, arrogant King Pentheus of Thebes. Bacchae are the women of the city who abandon their homes to join Dionysus in the hills for a wild, orgiastic gathering, dramatizing the conflict in all humans between the desire for mindless ecstasy, oblivion and blood, and the comforting restrictions of rational thinking, moderation, and control.

“ ‘Bacchae’ has great modern relevance because it examines what happens when our Dionysian impulses are repressed by authority,” Brammer says. “Those impulses emerge, of course, in various weird, sometimes inappropriate ways.”

“ ‘Bacchae’ has much to say to our society,” Adair agrees. “The problem is, what I think it says is not what we want to hear.”

Adair came to ACC in 2007 from New York City, where he worked with LaMama, an off-Broadway theater known for its compelling and unusual adaptations of the classics and also original pieces. He promises “Bacchae” will be an experience for audiences.

“My intention has been to strip Euripides’ ‘Bacchae’ down to its essential structural elements and offer it as honestly as possible in all its glory as a gift of sacrifice, cleansing, and renewal for the audience,” Adair says.

Working with his cast of 15 students, Adair created a new translation of the play that will be lean, passionate, and very clear to the viewer.

“It is perhaps one of the most difficult texts I have worked on,” he says. “My intellectual distaste for what we are creating tells me we are on the right track. “

The production incorporates custom-designed masks, live music, and choreography by Austin’s Debra McAdoo. “Dancing and singing were integral elements in the worship of Dionysus,” Brammer notes.

Adair warns the play is not for everyone. “Expect ritualistic staging, minimalist/poor theatre conventions, expressive soundscape, abstracted movement, and nudity,” he says.

“However, if you are interested in Euripides’ ‘Bacchae,’ as I am, and are wary of contemporary productions, as I am, you need to see this one.”

The Drama Department is still basking in the success of “Proof,” which ended a two-week run October 12. Brammer directed the play, which received glowing reviews from local critics.

“ ‘Proof’ went really well,” Brammer says. “We had a wonderful cast of students, a former student, and a professional actor who is also ACC faculty, and we worked very hard for an intense six weeks to create something of quality.”

She gives special credit to Drama faculty Peter Sukovaty for creating a set and lights that rivaled any theater in town.

“While we don’t have the best facilities or the most money, our goal is always to expose
students to work that’s truly good and not just well funded, in hopes they’ll have a greater
understanding of the difference between image and substance when they leave us.”

“Bacchae” runs two weekends – November 14-16 and November 21-23 – in the Mainstage Theatre of the Rio Grande Campus, 1212 Rio Grande Ave. Friday-Saturday performances are 8 p.m. Sunday matinee is 2 p.m. Admission is $6. Theatergoers should note the play includes some nudity and is not intended for children. For more information call 223.3240 or visit the Drama Department website.

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