The Oresteia
Adapted from the trilogy by Aeschylus
Translated by Ellen McLaughlin
Music Composed by Kamala Sankaram
Presented by Theater for a New Audience
A Digital Presentation
Artists and Community Series
Under the Auspices of the Merle Debuskey Studio Program
The Oresteia is based on the three plays by Aeschylus—Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides. They are among the oldest plays in the Western canon and consist of the only surviving trilogy from the ancient Greek theatre.
Due to the epic nature of the story and length of the original text, The Oresteia is rarely performed in its entirety, but McLaughlin’s version of the trilogy has been adapted into one sleek and fast-paced evening of theatre with a modern resonance. The Oresteia is the story of the House of Atreus.
The arc of the story begins with Agamemnon’s slaughter of his daughter, an act committed in the name of martial duty and pious sacrifice, but deemed unforgivable by his wife, Clytemnestra. Her act of vengeance in turn sets in motion once more the bloody cycle of that family’s history and the events that follow cast a harsh and penetrating light on any assumptions we like to make about civilization and the nature of human justice.
Featuring: Obi Abili, Corey Allen, Helen Carey, Kathleen Chalfant, Kelley Curran, Franchelle Stewart Dorn, Rinde Eckert, Robin Galloway, Ismenia Mendes, Rad Pereira, Reynaldo Piniella, Sophia Skiles, Simone Warren
Production Stage Manager: Ralph Stan Lee
The Oresteia by Ellen McLaughlin was commissioned and developed by Shakespeare Theatre Company, which in 2019 produced the world premiere, directed by Michael Kahn.