PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: QUEEN OF THEBES: A SPECIAL READING BY THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented by The Paley Center for Media. This evening hosts a staged reading of “Queen of Thebes,” a play by Arnold Rabin that offers a metaphysical look at the classic tale of Oedipus from the perspective of Jocasta, his mother, performed by members of the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Rebecca Paller (curator, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks before introducing the reading. The play is a retelling of the story of Oedipus from the perspective of his mother, Jocasta. The Sphinx, overseeing the story’s events after her supposed death, lingers with Jocasta as a metaphysical presence. Jocasta agonizes over the absence of Oedipus, who is busy determining how to end the plague that besets Thebes. She discusses her distresses with her nurse, Ida, who does her best to calm her. She mentions a mysterious grey-veiled woman who often appears to her in her dreams. As the disembodied Sphinx tries to warn Jocasta, Oedipus enters. They discuss Laius’s actions and how he brought the Sphinx upon Thebes. Jocasta recounts the prophecy and how she and Laius separated from one another, as well as her internal torment at the death of her baby. She expresses concern over their age difference, believing she will not be able to satisfy Oedipus, but he vows to remain at her side. Alone on the eve of her wedding to Oedipus, Jocasta wonders aloud about her own happiness; she and the Sphinx converse as she tries to put her misgivings into words. Jocasta and the Sphinx debate about the sorrow over her son and the Sphinx subtly tries to guide her to the realization of the truth, but Jocasta forces herself to remain oblivious to Oedipus’s identity, symbolized by the gray-veiled woman of her dreams. The Sphinx narrates Oedipus and Jocasta’s marriage, the birth of their children, Jocasta’s happiness, and the continuing plague. The Sphinx converses with the grey-veiled woman, who talks of her own metaphysical struggle against Jocasta’s desires and how she, by counteracting Jocasta’s judgment from within her mind, tried to save Oedipus even before he was conceived. Ida awakens Jocasta and tells her the truth: that Oedipus is her son and has fulfilled the prophecy. Jocasta despairs and the Sphinx watches as she debates with the grey-veiled woman; Jocasta still tries to deny the increasingly-apparent truth about her and Oedipus. Their argument grows heated and Jocasta physically assaults the grey-haired woman, strangling her with her veils until she dies. She removes the veils from the woman’s dead body as Oedipus desperately calls for her outside; she now knows the grey-veiled woman is herself. The Sphinx lowers a rope and Jocasta fastens it around her neck, killing herself. The play ends as the Sphinx retreats into nothingness. Following the reading, Paller introduces the panelists: Alfred Preisser (director); Rabin; musician Shayshahn MacPhearson; and cast members Tamara Tunie (Jocasta); Carmen de Lavallade (Grey-Veiled Woman); Zainab Jah (The Sphinx); Juanita Howard (Ida); and Duane Allen (Oedipus). Topics of discussion include: Rabin on how he conceived the idea for “Queen of Thebes”; de Lavallade on why she chose the role of the Grey-Veiled Woman over Jocasta; and Tunie on the preparation she underwent to play Jocasta. Questions from the audience lead to a discussion of the following topics: Rabin on why a traditional Greek chorus was not written into the play; the use of music in the play; Howard on her characters’ motivation; Rabin on the nature of despair in dramatic literature; how the actors’ perspectives on their characters have changed since their first performance; Rabin on writing a scene in the play between Oedipus and Jocasta; and Allen on the challenge of playing Oedipus.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: March 23, 2009 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:44:41
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:93914
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rebecca Paller … Host, Moderator
- Tamara Tunie … Performer, Panelist
- Carmen de Lavallade … Performer, Panelist
- Shayshahn MacPhearson … Performer, Panelist
- Zainab Jah … Performer, Panelist
- Juanita Howard … Performer, Panelist
- Duane Allen … Performer, Panelist
- Alfred Preisser … Panelist
- Arnold Rabin … Panelist