The stage was set and the lights dimmed over Moore Theatre as audience members filled seats and their bellies as they awaited the beginning of Achilles/Achilles's Son.
Achilles/Achilles' Son is a new play by Sean Graney, who is this year's Nancy Schaenen '51 Visiting Scholar at the Prindle Institute for Ethics.
Tim Good, associate professor of communication and theatre, has been working with the School of Music to produce Winter Term plays for the past 12 years. He directed the performances of Achilles/Achille's Son that ran from Monday, January 27 through Wednesday, January 29.
The play is actually part of a 12 hour play that is being split into three parts across three different schools.
"I saw that he was attempting the insane task of writing a 12 hour play using all 32 extant Greek tragedies, and I thought, 'I have to get in on that,'" Good said.
Bringing the play to DePauw has been in the works for about a year and a half now, but production did not commence until the second week of Winter Term.
A group of 45 students put the play together, including first-year Amanda Straw, who played a sea nymph.
"The play is a little confusing, but is supposed to make the audience think about their lives and what is going on in them," Straw said.
Though the play is greatly influenced by ancient Greek plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, Achilles/Achilles' Son takes place in modern-day Texas. It is loosely based on the Trojan War.
The characters sported suits and dresses, while still following along the lines of the ancient Greeks from which they were derived.
It is a comedy that drew many laughs from the engaged audience. "It was an interesting piece that had great comedic moments," added first-year Evan Hart.
As opposed to audience members sitting in their seats for the nearly three hour long performance, people were encouraged to move around and enjoy the things the play had to offer aside from the actors on stage.
The theater was transformed into a scene that mirrored that of Greek communal festivals. It mixed theater, music, food and debate.
Instruments used in the play included ukuleles as well as the voices of the three sea nymphs. It featured original music written by Alex Diaz '13.
Food was set up around the stage, which was not only mouth-watering, but free with ticket purchase.
Because of the interactive setup, some found it hard to focus on the play, including Sophomore Ciera deCourcy.
"I liked that they put a modern twist on it, but a lot of the production was distracting," remarked deCourcy.
Achilles/Achille's Son reached into ethical issues that our lives center on today. Some issues brought up included leadership in society, the value of life as well as death, and the nature of war. It encouraged citizens to be active, helpful parts of their society.
Though the play is set in Texas, it attempted to show that whether in Greece or Texas, thousands of years ago or last week, society has problems.
"The play takes ancient Greece's past," Shaw said, "and compares it to today, illustrating how history is doomed to repeat itself time and time again."