‘Trojan Women’ tragedy to be staged this weekend at DePauw

With chaos and terror surrounding them, the women of Troy must figure out how to survive when all hope is lost. DePauw University Theatre presents Euripides’ famous tragedy “Trojan Women” (adapted by Ellen McLaughlin).

Performances of “Trojan Women” are in Moore Theatre at the Green Center for the Performing Arts from Thursday, April 11 through Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m.

The play follows the fates of the women of Troy after the fallout from the Peloponnesian War that consumed the city-states of Athens and Sparta. The women have lost their husbands in the war, their families have been torn apart by the bloodshed, and now they wait at the gates of Troy to be taken to Greece as slaves. Despite the chaos surrounding them, the women find strength within each other to get through tumultuous times.

Poignantly depicting the suffering of women and children after war, “Trojan Women” is the one of the greatest Greek tragedies ever written. Throughout its production history, the show has warned audiences of the horrors of war while also comforting those who are suffering.

Director Caroline Good has worked tirelessly to do justice to such an important and emotionally moving story.

“I felt strongly about anchoring the play in the ancient story, yet fully indicting the present through the play’s anti-war message,” she said. “Through Ellen McLaughlin’s contemporary, lean and dense text based on Euripides’ play we have been able create a more abstract world where poetic movement and heightened language could exist that could communicate this message in a unique way.”

Good has created a world where dozens of voices come together as one, flowing through time and space just as the famous tragedy has transcended the years.

DePauw senior Darby Hayes plays Helen of Troy, whose beauty sparked the Trojan War.

“Ever since I was a child I’ve been obsessed with Helen of Troy. I used to read a book series that featured her as the primary character over and over and try to act out scenes from the book in my backyard. Now I get to act it out onstage.”

Tickets are available at the box office 658-4827 or online at depauw.edu/arts. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students.