Outreach through Drama; Shropshire schools and colleges get involved in ‘Oedipus the King’

Last week saw the Classics Faculty’s eye-catching (ouch!) production of ‘Oedipus the King’, and possibly a first for drama at Shrewsbury School.

Almost 2,500 years after ‘Oedipus the King’ was first produced at the great festival of City Dionysia in ancient Athens, Head of Classics Paul Fitzgerald gathered a group of talented actors from Shrewsbury School, Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, and Sir John Talbot School in Whitchurch for a co-production of Sophocles’ great masterpiece.

The play tells the story of the tragic hero Oedipus, the genius who solved the riddle of the Sphinx, the she-monster which terrorised the citizens of the ancient city of Thebes. Yet he was also the man whom the gods chose to curse at birth; he was destined to kill his own father and marry his mother and have children with her.

Mr Fitzgerald said: "Having taught ‘Oedipus the King’ as an A level set text both in the original Greek and in translation, I have always been drawn to its power to deliver; the Greek philosopher Aristotle regarded this as the perfectly crafted tragedy; essentially, if you want to write a tragedy that packs a punch, write one like Oedipus the King! The play was first produced around 430 BC and addresses some of the great taboos of life - patricide and incest. It is still an incredibly powerful piece of visual art."

The chorus was made up of 4 students from neighbouring schools and colleges; Amelia H, Rachel A, and Caitlin W (Shrewsbury Sixth Form College) and Jacob E (Sir John Talbot School in Whitchurch.)

They wore masks which had been made by a former member of the Art Faculty, Emily Stokes for a previous Classics production, Euripides’ ‘Medea’. The look was traditional yet created a powerful visual element, contrasting well with the modern costumes of the rest of the cast, and the HR Giger-inspired, darkly dystopian set.

All the cast delivered; Charlie H (M, UVI) portrayed Oedipus’ wife - and mother - Jocasta with pace and poise; the Corinthian messenger and the Theban shepherd (Johnny F (Ch, LVI) and Harvey I (S, UVI) inhabited their roles perfectly; Henry W (O, UVI) as Creon had suitable gravitas; Ryan M (S, LVI) delivered his plea as a priest with dignified compassion, and who can forget the horror and pathos of Issy N’s (MSH, LVI) terrifying yet poignant description of the death of the Queen and the self-blinding of Oedipus?

But the thespian laurels must surely go to Tim A (Rb, UVI) in the eponymous lead role; he not only learned huge swathes of text but brought them to life in a performance which covered anger, self-disgust, tenderness and tyranny. Bravo to him and all the players - and to Sophocles; a playwright whose genius displayed in this play has stood the test of time.

Paul Fitzgerald
Head of Classics