First performed at the factory theatre cleveland ohio by the actors’ summit theatre under the direction of neil thackaberry, masks and costumes by maryjo alexander, sets and lighting by robert stegmiller, choreography by alexandra thackaberry, original score by sebastian anthony birch with the following cast.

Oedipus (protagonist)……………………………………………………………..…………..…..Alex Cikra

Deuteragonist (iokasta, shepherd, messenger) ……………………………........................Marianne Nagel*

Tritagonist (kreon, teiresias, korinthian emissary) …………………....................….….Wayne S. Turney*

Khoregos ………………………………………………………………………….…...….…..Michael Roache

Khoros ………………………………………………………………………………..……..…..Leonard Goff

……………………………………………………………………………......................……....…….Kera Reilly

………………………………………………………………………………....................…….Johnathan Wray

……………………………………………………………..…….....................…….…AlexandraTthackaberry

………………....................................................................................................................................……..Devon.Stanley

…………...................................................................................................….............................…..Matthew McDermott

……………..........................................................................................................…............................…..Marci Paolucci

teiresias’ boy, antigone ………………………………........………………………....…………..Josh Ssebo

ismene …………………………………………………………....………………………....…..Claire Violand

the lines of the priest were divided among the khoregos and the khoros

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Guest Artist Contract

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; FOR SAMPLE DIALOGUE, CLICK HERE

REVIEWS:

The Plain Dealer March 24, 2001

2 voices rise above a lackluster cast by Carolyn Jack

We don’t believe in the old gods anymore.

The tragedies written about their mysterious judgements must have moved ancient Greek audiences to terror and pity for the storied people who were their pawns. The rituals that marked the dramatic action no doubt had the immediacy and emotional power over those long-ago viewers that religious services hold for contemporary worshippers.

But for modern audiences to believe what they see in a performance of "Oedipus Rex," the characters must embody an intensity of feeling that turns them into raw, titanic forces so overwhelming that their watchers quail before them as if before giants. It is not a show for amateurs.

Nonetheless, the brave Actors’ Summit has attempted this colossus of Greek tragedy with a cast mostly unprepared for its demands. That its production is understandable and even has moments of commanding urgency can only be regarded as success, under the circumstances.

Qualified success, mind you: There’s no denying that the show, which opened Thursday at Cleveland State University’s Factory Theatre, suffers from an awkward Greek chorus twangy with American regional accents, and from an unconvincing performance of the title role. Opening-night glitches found the city of Thebes plagued by abrupt lighting changes and inexactly timed musical effects as well as the scripted pestilence and infertility.

Still Director Neil Thackaberry can offer steady heat and light from something besides the sacred flame that appears to burn at center stage. His source is Wayne S. Turney, who plays Kreon and Teiresias and whose excellent new translation serves as the production’s text. Scholars will have to determine the accuracy of Turney’s "Oedipus" but, theatrically, his words flow with an easy musicality and modern clarity of meaning rarely found in tandem.

Turney and Maryann Nagel, who plays Iocaste, also supply the actorly skill and passion that the show lacks elsewhere.

Because Thackaberry has staged "Oedipus" according to Greek tradition, with the actors in masks, the cast members cannot rely on facial expression to convey character. Movement and voice provide their only tools and, regrettably, most of the performers have little adeptness with either. The chorus carries out its ensemble blocking hesitantly, self-consciously, and its individuals generally speak without resonance. Even Alex Cikra’s Oedipus, while more eloquent vocally, remains a rigid and juiceless presence.

But Turney and Nagel have the rich voices and the imaginative drama to their movements that come only with experience and talent. Both actors compel the audience to listen and watch, rewarding that rapt attention with theatrical storytelling of the first order.

The Akron Beacon Journal - April, 2001
New translation of Sophocles' classic tale is presented with power and style by Actors' Summit theater troupe By Elaine Guregian

MaryJo Alexander was carrying around a valuable piece of paper on Friday night, and it wasn't a script for the play Oedipus Rex, opening that night. It was a freshly issued permit from the city of Hudson that would allow the Actors' Summit theater company, of which she is associate artistic director, to renovate an industrial building into a permanent home.Counting its newest location, the peripatetic company has moved seven times over its two-year history.

Through April 28, the company, led by artistic director A. Neil Thackaberry, is presenting Sophocles' classic tragedy Oedipus Rex, in a new translation by Wayne S. Turney. It's worth following the group to the former Sherman's True Value Hardware store in Hudson to see this show. By curtaining off part of the store and setting up risers for seating, Thackaberry and Alexander created an intimate setting.

This production takes a traditional approach -- no updates. The actors, including the eight-member chorus, wore full masks and robes (all designed by Alexander) suitable to the ancient Greek setting. A pyre burning in the middle of the stage served as a ritualistic center for the movements of the chorus as they commented on the action.

The production would have been better off without the intrusive score by Sebastian Anthony Birch. It emphasized dramatic climaxes in an obvious way that detracted from the flow of action.

The main players took multiple roles. Alex Cikra was a dignified Oedipus who appeared convincingly broken by the news that he had, as the fates foretold, killed his father and not only married his mother but had four children with her.

Maryann Nagel took the roles of his wife/mother, Iocasta, along with playing the shepherd and a servant.

Wayne S. Turney's elegant diction and forceful manner made him persuasive in the roles of Kreon, Teiresias and the messenger.

Productions of Oedipus Rex vary, depending on the translations they use. Turney's version relaxes some of the formal language, usually in a positive way.

The company has just completed a run of the show at Cleveland State University, where Turney teaches theater, and the actors sounded comfortable with the cadences of Turney's translation. Only occasionally did the language seem overly casual.

What matters most is that the audience feels the agony that Oedipus and Iocasta experience when the truth about their incestuous relationship becomes known. In this production, the force of the story comes through.

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FOR PERFORMANCE RIGHTS, CONTACT MR. TURNEY