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The Trojan Women by Granite Hills Acting Workshop Much has changed in the past 2,400 years, but we have managed to keep the horrors of war much the same as they were when Euripides wrote The Trojan Women. Soldiers die by the thousands, shattering their families. Civilians, including men, women, and children, are murdered. Women are raped, some of them later bearing the children of their enemies. For these reasons, The Trojan Women still touches us the way it must have affected the Athenian audiences it played to all those years ago. It is impossible to see this story and not recall the recent events in Bosnia and Kosovo. This story is set not all that far from Kosovo, outside the walls of fallen Troy. Queen Hecuba has lost her husband, her sons, and all but one of her daughters. She is surrounded by the few other survivors of the royal household; all of them women. The men have already been slain by the Greeks. Now these Trojan women await their sad fate in a foreign land as slaves of the victorious Greeks, the very men who had just slain their husbands and sons. A powerful story such as this requires some powerful performances. These would be difficult roles for seasoned, professional adult actors. Under the careful direction of Barry Bosworth, widely known and praised for his Youth Summerstock musicals, the drama students of Granite Hills Acting Workshop rose to the occasion with a level of poise that would be remarkable for any age group. As the queen of Troy, all the other women look to Hecuba (Carly Nykanen) for guidance. Devastated by her own losses, she still tries to set a strong example for the others while being honest about the bleak outlook they all share. Acting as much with her expressive eyes as she does with her voice and movements, Carly vividly portrays the weariness, grief, and anger felt by the vanquished. Hecuba's only surviving daughter is Cassandra (Marjorie Oslie), one of the most intriguing characters in all of Greek myth. For the god Apollo has given her the ability to foretell the future, but cursed her so that no one would believe her "mad ravings." Marjorie is both entertaining and disturbing as she tells everyone how she will be the downfall of the Greek king Agamemnon who has claimed her as his mistress. Through her, the enemy who destroyed Troy will himself be destroyed. Of course, no one believes her. Why would they? Marjorie's Cassandra was quite clearly insane! The most heart-wrenching role is that of Andromache (Stacy Moore). She is Hecuba's daughter-in-law, the widow of Hector and mother of young Astyanax (Matt Closson). When Andromache wishes for death, Hecuba tells her that she must be strong for the sake of Astyanax. But then the Greek soldier Talthybius (Brandon Roesler) breaks the news to her that the Greek leaders have decided Astyanax must be killed, thrown from the great walls of Troy. The veteran of more than a dozen plays with director Barry Bosworth, Stacy's wealth of experience is evident as she puts on her most riveting performance yet. And then, of course, there's the face that launched a thousand ships. The beautiful Helen (Chanel Nicolet), reviled by the Trojans for dooming their city and by the Greeks for causing the deaths of so many Greek soldiers, must now face her husband Menelaus (Travis Heath) whom she deserted for the dashing Prince Paris. Menelaus means to kill her, and Hecuba is only too willing to help him. Surrounded by enemies, Helen's only way out of this one is to transform herself into the victim and turn on her womanly charms. Can Menelaus resist those charms and have his unfaithful wife executed? Get real! Chanel's sultry performance spares Helen's life. An exceptionally strong element of this production was the chorus. Led with tremendous poignancy by Aimee Dotts, the entire chorus worked together with both great timing and dramatic skill. The entire show was made possible by Dr. Howard Rubenstein who translated the Euripides play for the stage. His screenplay not only conveys the story eloquently, but also nicely introduces the audience to the classic story and characters. Rob Hopper San Diego Playbill ~ Cast ~ Hecuba: Carly Nykanen Cassandra: Marjorie Oslie Andromache: Stacy Moore Helen: Chanel Nicolet Chorus Leader: Aimee Dotts Chorus: Marla Worm Emily Irish Jennifer Volker Monica Johnson Tashya Garoutte Corie Bales Lauren Robbins Allison Wasdahl Talthybius: Brandon Roesler Menelaus: Travis Heath Soldiers: Austin Thorpe Jason Arajo Drew Kuhse Astyanax: Matt Closson Adapted By: Dr. Howard Rubenstein Directed By: Barry Bosworth |