BFA Class of 2020 reimagines tragedy with Chrysothemis

“Relevant” usually isn’t the first word that comes to mind when you think of 2,500 year old Greek tragedies, but in a year that has been anything but a comedy, that might be the perfect way to describe the department of drama’s latest production, Chrysothemis. 

Chrysothemis is a new play by award-winning playwright Meg Braem that was commissioned exclusively for the 2020 Bachelor of Fine Arts graduating class. It tells the story of the House of Atreus, a family cursed by the gods that has spent generations tearing itself apart. The play is named after the character Chrysothemis, a lost daughter of the House of Atreus who is intent on bringing her warring family together through food and cooking. 

Originally scheduled to premiere in March of this year, the play experienced several delays due to COVID-19. On Saturday, December 5, Chrysothemis finally got its debut, although it had to be livestreamed due to the province’s current COVID-19 restrictions. The premiere was also the first of many opportunities for audiences to catch the performance online, as the play will be available on-demand from Dec. 12, 2020 until Jan. 1, 2021.

In a myth full of sex, murder, revenge, and betrayal, the peace-loving Chrysothemis has often been treated as nothing more than a footnote. In fact, Chrysothemis is the only member of the House of Atreus to not have a play included in the Oresteia, the only surviving tragic trilogy from Ancient Greek theatre. 

But for former U of A Lee Playwright-in-Residence Meg Braem, that pacifism is what attracted her to Chrysothemis in the first place.

“It’s interesting to label her as submissive or not passionate because she’s different,” Braem said. “Within heroic tales there’s this thing of conquering and avenging, but then I thought, isn’t fighting for peace as brave as revenge? I was interested in what makes her different.”

Although there is relatively little written about Chrysothemis in the source material, Braem is hoping that the play can reimagine her story in a way that connects with modern audiences while staying true to the myth. 

“This play is sort of fan fiction for Greek tragedy,” Braem said. “It’s creating a new narrative on top of a very old story.”

The story of the House of Atreus may be thousands of years old, but according to Braem, there are a lot of elements that are just as relevant today as they were in Ancient Greece.

“The story is about somebody [facing] massive adversity… trying to hold it together and just keep going, and I sort of think that’s what everybody is trying to do right now.”

There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the play since the premiere was first cancelled in March. The following eight months saw the cast graduate and come back, a few more cancellations, and the introduction of social distancing guidelines that forced the play to be reimagined with COVID-19 in mind.

Despite the odds, the show did indeed go on, and it is something that Braem attributes not only to the resiliency of the cast and crew, but of theatre itself. 

“Everyone has always said [theatre] is a dying art form — well it’s been dying for 3,000 years,” Braem said. “I think people will be nervous for a while [and] money is going to be tight for a long time, but people tend to make theatre whether they have money or not. Theatre tends to happen.”

Chrysothemis will be available on-demand from Dec. 12, 2020 until Jan. 1, 2020. You can purchase a digital recording here for $12.