The Grossmont College Theatre Arts will close its 2025–2026 season in May with a production of Antigone, Sophocles’ enduring Greek tragedy about justice, family, and the consequences of power. Performances run May 14–23 at the Stagehouse Theatre on the Grossmont College campus.
Directed by Shana Wride and translated by Diane J. Rayor, the production brings students into one of the most demanding forms of classical theatre—Greek tragedy—where ensemble performance, heightened emotion, and physical storytelling are central to the work.
Wride said the decision to stage Antigone reflects the department’s commitment to classical theatre training
“The Grossmont Theatre department aims to stage a classic play every year, and it was very important to me that our students have the opportunity to step into the world of Greek tragedy,” Wride said. “I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare and other classical works, but it’s important that our students have an opportunity to expand their work, physically, emotionally, and vocally, and to embrace storytelling in this highly theatrical and timeless way.”
At the center of Antigone, there is a conflict between individual conscience and state authority, as Antigone defies King Creon to honor her brother with burial rites.
Wride said the play’s themes remain deeply relevant.
“Antigone is about justice. It’s about family. It’s about questioning leadership and knowing the importance of community. Greek plays ask us to look at our own defects of character, so that we might see them reflected on the stage. Greek tragedies exist and endure because, as human beings, we sometimes refuse to look in the mirror long enough. How are we contributing? How are we getting in the way? I think those ideas are relevant always.”
The production is ensemble-driven, with students taking on acting, design, and stage management responsibilities as part of a collaborative learning environment.
“The students have jumped in with both feet and are learning so much about this unique type of theatre, about the history behind it, and about themselves as artists and people. I could not be more proud of them,” she said.
“True courage is doing something you’re afraid to do, and of course, we’re all a bit terrified to try something this challenging, but I think that’s the point. I think educational theatre should ask us to try things we are afraid to try because we’ve never done them before. It should teach us about the process of becoming an artist and a person, and in many cases, we must surrender the result to gain that knowledge.”
“If we all only did art that we knew we could do well, how boring it would all become!” she said. “We’re all working together as a collaborative team to pay homage to some aspects of Greek Theatre while keeping it relatable and, in many strange ways, contemporary.”
“I hope audiences enjoy the opportunity to experience something they may have never experienced before in a theater. I hope they can see the value in our students stretching themselves artistically and personally to do something powerful and exciting,” Wride said.
Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on May 16 and May 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 general, $14 seniors/military/educators, and $10 students. Tickets are available at www.StagehouseTheatre.com or (619) 644-7234.
