Cappies Review: Antigone: 3021 at Centreville High School Reimagines Greek Tragedy with Futuristic Twist, Highlighting the Timeless Battle for Justice
Fairfax County Public Schools students are talented actors, musicians, and visual artists. Many FCPS high schools participate in the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Critics and Awards Program for High School Theatre, otherwise known as the Cappies.
The Cappies is a program through which high school theater and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers. There are fifteen Cappies chapters across the United States and Canada.
Editor's Note: This review of Centreville High School's production of Antigone: 3021 was written by Jenny Mears of Langley High School.
In the future, there are no flying cars or time machines, but humanity does continue to face the challenge of right and wrong. In Centreville’s production of Antigone: 3021, one woman's defiance against a tyrannical regime echoes the timeless struggle for justice.
Antigone: 3021 written by Nina Mansfield is a modern reimagining of Sophocles' ancient tragedy Antigone, set in a dystopian future. The play takes place in the traditional Thebes, Greece but in the year 3021, where society has drastically changed, and a new totalitarian regime rules. In this futuristic world, the protagonist, Antigone, faces a similar moral dilemma to the original: she defies the government’s orders to leave her brother’s body unburied, believing in the importance of family loyalty and higher moral laws over the laws of the state. The play explores themes of resistance, personal integrity, and the consequences of standing up against oppressive systems, blending the timeless conflict of Antigone with a sci-fi twist and contemporary issues.
The Centreville High School production greatly executes a unique spectacle of fervent emotions, witty jokes, and futuristic inspired scenery.
The leading role of Antigone was played by the talented Hannah Crawford, who delivered every line with a deep sense of passion and desperation as she yearns to honor her disgraced brother. Alongside Crawford’s strong performance was Macee Schmidt who played Antigone’s sister, Ismene. Schmidt’s well paced monologues and frustrated spirit displayed the deep internal conflict of Ismene.
To represent the traditional Greek chorus was a group of show hosts called “The Vistas”, led by the eccentric Sophie Clese and accompanied by Concordia (Gigi Okey-Eboh), Nicole (Kylie Henryhand), and Annie Strophe (Sienna Nguyen). Portraying the eccentric Sophie Clese was the equally eccentric Elliot Carreon whose energetic deliveries and vibrant smile represented the outsider and media perspective of Antigone and the tyrannical government’s downward spiral.
The technical elements matched the energetic and heart-warming performances, with lights designed by Katie Powderly, Khloe Moon, Heliya Jafari, and Ace Seifried. The lighting design created an emotional connection to each scene, from the vivacious colors in the Vista studio to the deep, moody purple of the prison cell of Antigone. Additionally, each cue was perfectly timed with the work of Emily Thomas, Heliya Jafari, and Ace Seifried, from the student-composed music to the fast lighting changes between settings, the stage management team never missed a beat.
With each scene revealing a new aspect of the twisted tragedy, Centreville High School’s rendition of Antigone: 3021 brings fresh relevance to the classic Greek play, drawing parallels between the ancient world and contemporary societal struggles.
