On Thursday November 14th, 2024, Troupe 6273 of District 8 represented Our Lady of Lourdes Academy live on stage with their 32 minute play Antigone. After performing for a live audience on Wednesday, the thespians were able to showcase their technical and acting skills to judges in Hialeah Gardens High School, with hopes of advancing to the state level.
“It was super nerve-racking in the wings [on stage] because it was my first time acting ever,” senior Hailey Scott said. “It was a really special experience to present something that I have worked really hard on, especially because I usually do tech work and not acting.”
The play, Antigone by Sophocles, is a Greek tragedy that tells the story of Oedipus Rex’s daughter Antigone (Andrea Lavin ‘25), her sister Ismene (Frances Ryan ‘25), and her step father King Creon (Isabella Cabrera ‘25). After burying her brother Polynices, Antigone gets arrested and sentenced to death by her stepfather, causing her fiancé Haemon (Sofia Salum ‘25) and mother Eurydice (Sophia Setien ‘26) to kill themselves. Other important roles, like the prophet Tireseus (Cristina Sanchez ‘25), the Messenger (Veronica Pernas ‘25), and the Choragus (Sofia Silkworth ‘25), attempt to guide Creon’s decisions throughout the show, but fail miserably, ultimately leading to Creon’s change of heart in leadership as future king.
The students in the Theater III & IV classes, along with their director, Mrs. Michelle Garcia-Bode, decided to put a unique spin on the classic play and design it Mardi Gras themed.
“The Mardi Gras theme that we chose really encapsulates the story of Antigone,” senior Olivia Prieto said. “We were able to connect Mardi Gras traditions, like funeral processions and jazz music, with each of the characters and different scenes throughout the show.”
It took hard work and dedication to not only memorize lines and improve acting skills, but to also create a realistic New Orleans setting on stage. The set pieces—which included two large hand painted Mardi Gras masks, columns and lamp posts, and various props and costumes—were designed and hand picked by all members of the cast. Although costumes were not worn on the Wednesday evening show, the cast dressed in time-period outfits and makeup for Thursday afternoon.
“Everyone pitched in to make this possible,” theater teacher Mrs. Garcia-Bode said. “I’m really proud of all the students who came together to get everything done in time.”
The day began with a bus ride from school to Hialeah Gardens at 6:30 AM. Once they arrived, the cast had to unload their props from a U-Haul van and place them into a taped out “box” on the stage. They performed at 11:45, which meant that the troupe then had plenty of time to rehearse before they needed to get ready. The actors improved their stage presence, volume, clarity, and interaction with other characters in the cast. Mrs. Garcia-Bode gave everyone notes on their acting abilities, ultimately allowing each member of the cast to feel more confident on stage.
“I think that it turned out really well,” senior Isa Cabrera said. “The judges gave us really good feedback, so hopefully we’ll end up with a pretty good score!”
The Troupe received an “Excellent” award, meaning that, although they will be missing out at competition at the State Festival, what they did receive is an amazing reflection of all of their hard work and dedication that went into making this outstanding production possible.
