INTERVIEW: Modern-day themes explored in Classical Theatre of Harlem’s ‘Bacchae’
Photo: The Bacchae reimagines the classic Euripedes play in the modern era, with Dionysus as a rock star. Photo courtesy of Jill Jones / Provided by GOGO PR with permission.
The Classical Theatre of Harlem, one of the most exciting and prolific theater companies in New York City, is ready to stage a revitalized version of The Bacchae, Euripede’s classic Greek tragedy that has been newly adapted by Bryan Doerries.
Carl Cofield, associate artistic director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem, is directing the production, which begins previews July 6 and runs through July 28 at the outdoor Richard Rodgers Amphitheater at the Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, New York.
“We’re super-excited,” Cofield said in a recent phone interview. “We think the work will speak to a 21st-century audience for sure, and we’re just thrilled to be continuing to do the work and service our community through the arts.”
When the Classical Theatre of Harlem selects its projects, the team tries to consider what type of connections can be made to the modern day. For Cofield and the company, The Bacchae has numerous extensions to 2019. For starters, Dionysus, the god of wine and ecstasy, has evolved into a rock star, and he has returned to his hometown to take on his cousin, Pentheus, king of the city. The production will explore how the masses, sometimes without considering any questions about intention or experience, blindly follow these two charismatic leaders.
“It is something that we always try to take into consideration when we’re choosing pieces,” Cofield said. “Does it speak to our current dialogue and current situation with where we are, and I think some of the themes that we’re grappling with reflect very well in The Bacchae. The Bacchae is about hubris. It’s about tribalism. It’s about fear of others, so all of those things I think accurately in one way or another resonate with what’s going on today. And that’s very important to us. … These stories that have been around for this long, I think they have a reason for being around that long. I think that’s one of the things that the Greek excel in is being able to really ask the existential questions about where we are as a people, who we want to be and how we might get there.”
With the rock-star motif, this will not be a strictly classical staging. Cofield and his actors, including Jason C. Brown as the god of wine, will bring contemporary dress to the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater.
“We’re sort of blending classical themes, but they might be a little bit futuristic,” he said. “Rock-star glam is the window we’re putting it under because the Dionysus character is [about] wine and music, so we’re pushing that extreme and doing it under the guise of what if this was a Lenny Kravitz-type individual who through his music was able to seduce his followers into believing his point of view.”
Cofield said he studied the text in his undergraduate and graduate days. To prepare for this production, he reexamined the play, utilizing Doerries’ new adaptation, and realized that Euripedes is truly talking about fear of others.
“I guess you cannot escape it in our political dialogue talking about a caravan of people coming here,” he said, “and how the narrative is being spun about others who are coming to our land. And that’s one of the things that I was like, yeah, of course. That is one of the major themes in the play, so I think anybody watching will pick up on that and how fear of others can blind us in our critical reasoning.”
It seems that The Bacchae is set to continue the Classical Theatre of Harlem’s mission of providing thoughtful productions to the community of Harlem, all the while advancing its dedication to staying topical and celebrating diversity.
“It’s massively important obviously because we’re above 96th Street, and there are arts that are happening above 96th Street,” Cofield said. “So we’re serving our community and saying that you don’t have to travel outside of your community to get world-class arts, and it’s going to be arts that are reflective of the community that you live in. The creatives and the cast they look like you, they sound like you, and although we’re doing a classical story, I think we find ways to creatively make that story accessible to a large Harlem community — a Harlem community that is changing.”
He added: “We truly believe that if we expose young people to art early on, it can have a profound effect on their lives. It can change the trajectories of their lives to see that, oh, there is a place for me at the table. I see people who look like me, sound like me, and they’re doing things that I hadn’t necessarily thought about. But now I have been given permission to dream bigger, so that’s one of the reasons why I think Classical Theatre of Harlem is vitally important.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Classical Theatre of Harlem’s production of The Bacchae, directed by Carl Cofield and newly adapted by Bryan Doerries, will play July 6-28 at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, New York. Running time: 70 minutes. Tickets are free, and no advance reservations are needed. Click here for more information.
