BACCHAE

When I first read The Bacchae, I fell in love with the story (almost to an unhealthy hyperfixation extent), and I knew I wanted to adapt and direct it someday. However, as much as I loved it, I couldn’t find a way to reconcile with the fact that The Bacchae’s female characters aren’t super well fleshed out. In the original text, Agaue only enters in the final scene and serves solely as a plot mechanism to further enhance the effect of Pentheus’s downfall. Additionally, the chorus speaks exclusively in unison, stripping the maenads from their individuality and eccentricity. Thus, came the idea to adapt the text and perform it on my terms. I wanted to create a show that honored the original text and its plot, but gave voice and new perspectives to the horror experienced by the women of Thebes. After all, is there even a story to tell without the distinct madness of the maenads? Or the tragedy that befalls Agaue?

In addition to aiming to fully develop the female characters, this “Bacchae” also takes place in a modern-day nightclub. The goal with the nightclub setting was to create an experience that immerses audience members into the atmosphere of The Bacchae, rather than just simply telling the story. Furthermore, the nightclub setting allows the text to further emphasize and bring to light its queerness and eccentricity. By creating an environment that is both familiar and exciting to modern audiences, this adaptation attracts and welcomes viewers from all backgrounds. 

I could probably write entire essays about how important and illuminating this text is when it comes to themes of political control, repressed sexuality, patriarchy, queerness, femininity, and motherhood. However, I’ll leave you to discover it and appreciate it yourselves. I hope you may find the same joy and richness from The Bacchae that I have. 

-Isabelle Victoria Bohn