Thirty GCSE and A Level classicists kicked off the start of the school year with a trip to The Bridge Theatre to see a reimagining of Aeschylus’ Oresteia, the only extant trilogy of Greek tragedies.
Winning first prize at the Dionysia Festival in 458 BCE, still thousands of years later it appealed to a modern and diverse audience, clear from the rapturous applause at the end of each section and standing ovation at the end of the play.
Students have engaged in lively discussions with each other and Classics teachers about the original play and how it compares with this modern retelling. Compelling and pacy, comedic and horrifically tragic, Simon Stone’s version focused on the unravelling of a family against a divisive political backdrop and the consequences of sacrifices made.
Our A Level Classical Civilisation students have been going back to Clytemnestra’s original speech in the first part of the trilogy, ‘Agamemnon’, and analysing her role, resulting in dynamic discussion and debate.
“The Oresteia at The Bridge Theatre is written and directed by Simon Stone, and based on Aeschylus’ Greek tragedy of the same name. The triple-act play centres around a rich, yet deeply dysfunctional, family of five, featuring both the highs and shocking lows of their relationship between 2016 and 2026.
The first act successfully establishes a close but tense family dynamic, providing the audience with valuable insight into the mundanities of daily life, sibling jokes, and individual relationships. This was primarily achieved through long scenes of conversation and argument driven by a remarkably natural and detailed script, forcing immediate familiarity with the characters. As an audience member, I found that the depth of character building made later moments of murder and deceit particularly shocking and deeply moving.
The unique set design featured a two-storey family home, fully fitted with glass walls, and placed the characters under constant scrutiny. Although the set rotated to highlight particular rooms, the actors were often required to remain in character for long periods of time, which I found particularly impressive. As well as being a clever way of revealing action happening simultaneously without set changes, the confines of the glass house heightened the tense atmosphere and created a strong sense of unease from the very beginning.
Although the play was over three and a half hours long, constant action, timeline jumps and unique acting choices ensured that we were never bored. Every element of the production, including the set, script and sound design was tailored to the deeply tragic theme, creating a haunting, immersive experience which I thoroughly enjoyed.”
– Holly, Year 12