Tig, a piece by Young and Talented Theatre School
Suzann has been working with students from Young and Talented Theatre School at the Broadway Theatre, Barking, exploring the ways of bringing Roy’s play into the world of today’s teenagers.
Roy’s translation places Antigone in a contemporary urban setting, dominated by gang culture and surveillance. In the play, Tig’s actions are observed and shared via mobile devices and the Young and Talented Theatre School have responded to this. They have examined how the news of someone’s death in our modern world would be received, and finding that it would most likely be via text, BBM, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, What’s App, or another social media format, they’ve devised a piece that explores that aspect of our culture.
Taking influence from the issues of shame, silencing, and authoritative power in the play, the students’ piece also asks questions about what would happen if acknowledging the deceased students would bring shame on the school that they attended? Schools are well prepared with strategies for dealing with and commemorating the loss of a student; a one minute silence, an event, laying of flowers, or the planting of a tree. But what would happen if the head teacher acted as if nothing happened? What if it was your friend? Your Brother?