Written in the 5th century BC by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles,
“Antigone” ranks among theatre’s foremost “world-heritage” works — one whose sacred artistic flame is set to be rekindled by SPAC in Sumpujo Park, Shizuoka City.

In this open-air production, audiences will have a wonderful opportunity to hear the play’s magical words from 2,500 years ago ring out under a vast sky. Their bodies, too, will tingle with the power of the actors’ performances as the director, MIYAGI Satoshi, draws powerfully on the Japanese view of life and death for his unique take on this revered work. With MIYAGI being a strong believer in the uplifting power of festive play, for the grand finale of “Antigone,” the entire cast will come together in a magnificent mass Bon-dance like those traditionally performed to welcome the souls of people’s ancestors back home during the annual Bon holiday in summer.

All those who have died are Buddhas.
Director MIYAGI Satoshi revisits “Antigone,” this time targeting it especially at a global audience.

This famous 5th Century B.C. tragedy by Sophocles is set in Thebes in ancient Greece, the city where King Oedipus was exiled because of an incestuous secret concerning his birth — a secret that leads his wife, Queen Jocasta, to kill herself when she discovers she is also his mother. After that Oedipus steps down, telling his sons Polynices and Eteocles to share the throne, but the brothers quarrel and Eteocles expels Polynices to Argos. Before long, Polynices returns with Argoan warriors to attack Thebes, and the brothers kill each other in one-to-one combat — hence fulfilling a curse made by their father. With their deaths, Creon, a brother of Jocasta, becomes king and has Eteocles buried with great ceremony — but decrees that anyone trying to bury or even mourn the traitor Polynices will be executed. Nonetheless, Antigone, a daughter of Oedipus and sister of the brothers, decides to bury Polynices … although her sister Ismene warns her not to do so.

Shizuoka Performing Arts Center
SPAC was founded in 1995 by the Shizuoka prefectural government and commenced its full-fledged activities in 1997 under the direction of SUZUKI Tadashi, its first General Artistic Director. As a pioneer of publicly funded performing-arts organizations in Japan, SPAC retains its own staff of actors, technical and production staff, who are based at its own venues and facilities. The mission of SPAC is not only to create original pieces, but also to invite progressive artistic companies and creators to Shizuoka and to develop human resources seeking expression through the performing arts. Since April 2007, when he was appointed as the General Artistic Director, MIYAGI Satoshi has led SPAC in a buoyant new phase of development and expansion.

◎Pre-performance talk: Starting in the Festival Garden 35 minutes before each performance

Conceived and directed by MIYAGI Satoshi
Written by Sophocles
Translated by YAGINUMA Shigetaka
Composed by TANAKAWA Hiroko
Space design: KIZU Junpei
Costume design: TAKAHASHI Kayo
Lighting design: OSAKO Koji
Hair and makeup: KAJITA Kyoko
Performed by SPAC / Micari, HONDA Maki, AKAMATSU Naomi, ABE Kazunori, ISHII Moemi, IZUMI Yoji, OUCHI Yoneji, OHTAKA Kouichi, KATO Yukio, KIJIMA Tsuyoshi, SAKAKIBARA Yuumi, SAKURAUCHI Yu, SATO Yuzu, SUZUKI Mariko, DAIDOMUMON Yuya, TAKEISHI Morimasa, TATENO Momoyo, TERAUCHI Ayako, NAGAI Kenji, FUSE Asuka, MAKIYAMA Yudai, MISHIMA Keita, MIYAGISHIMA Haruka, MORIYAMA Fuyuko, YAMAMOTO Miyuki, YOSHIUE Soichiro, YOSHIMI Ryo, WAKANA Daisuke, WATANABE Takahiko

Produced by SPAC – Shizuoka Performing Arts Cente