A tale of freedom, reason and faith took the stage of the Wells-Metz Theater at 7:30 p.m. last night as the IU Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance presented "The Bacchae." Master’s student Kendrick Weingast directed the tragedy by ancient Greek playwright Euripides. From the lighting to the acting, I was sucked into the story for every second of the 90-minute performance.
Running until Oct. 3, “The Bacchae” is an ancient Greek tragedy that follows Dionysus' journey through Thebes. The journey is savage and brutal, with themes of humanity and fate lingering throughout the performance. This recent adaptation reimagines Euripides' work through a modern political lens, emphasizing trust and community.
This performance truly made me believe I was back in ancient Greece.
The stage was made to be split into two areas. One side represented the mountain top, where the Bacchae lay with vines and sand consuming the side.
A memorial for Dionysus’ mother, Semele, takes center stage on half of the side. This memorial is used creatively throughout the show, utilizing shadow play to tell the story and becomes a key part of the last act.
The other side represented the kingdom of Thebes where a throne sits for King Pentheus. This side of the stage is where Pentheus spends most of his time before the end of the show.
The show uses this set design amazingly. There are moments throughout the play where both sides are talking yet neither know about what the other side is saying, adding suspense.
The Bacchae isn’t one solid entity; it's a cult following Dionysus and was made up of nine actors. The cast acted as one, danced as one, sang as one and cried as one — which really sold the performance for me. Sophomore Annie Agee played a member of the Bacchae and Messenger 2 and said Weingast wanted to take a thought-provoking approach.
“[Weingast] has been spinning it like the political scene of today,” Agee said. “She wants the audience to consider how it would feel if your leader doesn't have your best interests in mind. Would you still blindly follow them, or does that change how you feel about them?”
Personally, I think the show leaned into the political scene perfectly.
I also started to question the values of King Pentheus, even after the show, as I wondered if he only wanted what’s best for his people or if he was hungry to show off his power.
Rather than presenting the audience with a clear side to support, Weingast said the production encourages audiences to question what they truly believe.
“It requires you, in the audience, to question what you side with,” Weingast said.
I left the theater and found myself asking those questions.
There are so many moments where you want to root for the Bacchae, but then the story flips, leaving me questioning who I was rooting for. There’s no one defined answer, and I think that’s what makes it a must-see show. You aren’t told who to root for or who’s the bad guy; instead, you must decide.
The show flips the audience back and forth between moments of pure bliss and anxiety-inducing moments that had me on the edge of my seat. I think all the actors performed incredibly well for how dark the show could become.
Senior Rossie Rossen was a stage manager for “The Bacchae” and said that the cast and crew maintained a lighthearted atmosphere despite the dark themes of the show.
“It's very dark and it's difficult towards the end of the show,” Rossen said. “The cast is really, really good in the moments in between being super fun, talking to each other and joking around.”
I loved how the crew was able to play with the layout of the theater — one moment during the show required a bird prop to fly over the heads of the crowd.
One of the main themes I saw during the production was community and identity. Once characters joined the Bacchae, it was like they were washed clean from who they were as a person. This is such a complex idea, and I believe that more theater productions should look at “The Bacchae” as inspiration when producing nuanced shows.
Instead of telling audiences who is good or bad, the production leaves that up to the viewers to decide.
Tickets to “The Bacchae” can be purchased for $19 for students and children and $29 for adults. More information about the show can be found on the theater department’s website.
