Appalachian State University
Department of Theatre & Dance presents
Directors' Notes
Last February we began thinking of ways of staging Lysistrata so that it was accessible to our audience yet faithful to the spirit of ancient Greek theatre. While sitting on the sofa ruminating about it, I happened to catch a few minutes of Blazing Saddles on TV and, Eureka! No one took on social issues and made fun of them like Mel Brooks. His movies in the early and mid-seventies where hilarious. Blazing Saddles skewered racism with absurd physical comedy and shocking but disarming language. It hilariously cut to the chase and put everyone on equal footing.
Much the same can be said of Sarah Ruden’s masterful translation of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. The physicality and frank language in the play, and the far–fetched scheme to stop the Peloponnesian war lampoon combat and the battle of the sexes, reasoning that only a balanced relationship between a man and woman can lead to a happy life.
Far-fetched as a sex strike would be to the ancient Athenians, there is relevance today. In an April 2009 press release, the Kenyan Women’s group G10 called for a countrywide sex strike “to oblige President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to settle their differences….” It further stated that they were “ thoroughly dissatisfied with the persistent failure of Kenya’s leadership to rise above its petty squabbles for the country's greater interest.”
As you watch our production, we hope you laugh, giggle, blush just a bit, sing and dance… but don’t be surprised if you leave the theatre thinking about our world today.
-- Derek Gagnier
Lysistrata is an anti-war and feminist Greek comedy. Its message is universal, and transcends time, as for instance, the sex strike by Kenyan women in spring 2009. Our production is inspired by the comedy’s timeless anti-war and anti-chauvinist message. It is fused with a combination of classical and 1970s styles, and the Asian martial arts choreography is used to empower the female characters. Certain stage conventions are enhanced from the Peking Opera tradition. Together with a diverse cast, we blend feminist and multicultural perspectives in this production.
--Kin-Yan Szeto
