Thanks for the Ride

Now that Antigone has closed, I want to thank everyone who made it a great success. From an amazing cast to brilliant designers to supportive faculty to ultra-reliable crew to a marvelous translation to an audience second to none, we had every ingredient needed for a successful production, and we exceeded the expectations of everyone involved; we even set a new attendance record for the theatre department.

Together we proved that theatre is the most collaborative of the arts as we reached across department boundaries and worked with students and faculty in dance, music, art, humanities, English, and philosophy--not to mention the president of the university himself, whom we all owe for starting the whole process. The spirit of team work was evident from the very start, and I think we are all better off because we worked together. I was continually amazed as I shared my ideas and watched them turn into reality--a reality that became bigger and better than I had imagined.

Thanks again to all involved. It has been an unforgettable experience.

Excellent Review

We received a great review from the Utah Theater Bloggers Association today. You can read it HERE.

To respond to the reviewer's question about the costuming and makeup, my intent was to create a new world for the story that carries a hint of the ancient Greek while being so much more. Jason Jensen's makeup design revolves around the use of masks in ancient Greek theatre, but in makeup form. The specific designs on the actors' faces (and the colors in the costumes) were chosen specifically to show alignment to Creon and/or Antigone.

Antigone Photos

Cherie Julander, who plays Eurydice in our production, took several photographs at our rehearsal the other night, and I think they're amazing. She gave me permission to post some of them here. Enjoy!

More Antigone Publicity

The Herald Extra has published another video about Antigone. This one covers the rehearsal process from early on until final dress rehearsal last night and features interviews with various members of the production team. You can watch it in HD here.

Opening Night

As a director, it's amazing to see ideas become reality through the work of others. Sometimes I have felt as though I wasn't doing anything. I was just the guy sitting there watching everyone else do all the work, and all I had to do was comment on it. What a wonderful process it has been, and after months of preparation, we have finally arrived at opening night. It has been a wonderful process working with so many talented people; actors, dancers, a musician, designers, stage management, and so many others have helped make the old saying true: Theatre is the most collaborative of all the arts.

I am indebted to so many people for this experience and for it making it so enjoyable. Without the absolute dedication of others, the show would have failed. Instead, we have created a marvelous work of art. In addition to my wonderful cast, design team, the theatre department, and President Holland, I want to give special thanks to Fiona Nelson from the dance department, Ross Hagen from the music department, and Stewart Craig in the art department. Their work was integral to my vision, and they (with everyone else) brought it into reality.

To my cast I wish a wholehearted "Break a leg!"

(Leviticus Brown as Eteocles and Nathan Sinclair Vineyard as Polyneices; photo courtesy Cherie Julander)

Come see the show!

October 7-12

UVU Quad

More Through the Eyes of Polyneices

Nathan Sinclair Vineyard has written a second installment in his series Becoming Polyneices in the UVU Review. Read it HERE.