Stanford Summer Theater: Electra in the Theater

Celebrating its eleventh season, Stanford Summer Theater (SST) presents The Electra Festival, an exploration through theater and film of one of the great mythic heroines. Electra’s story—and the saga of the house of Atreus, the Trojan War, and its aftermath—have inspired playwrights, novelists, composers, film directors, and thinkers over the centuries. The Electra Festival allows us to trace the influence of this classic myth from ancient Athens to the contemporary world.

The Electra Festival features a major production of Sophocles’ Electra, using MacArthur Award winner Anne Carson’s masterful translation. Electra tells the story of the daughter of Agamemnon, Electra, who plots revenge for her father’s murder at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra. Among the most demanding roles in Greek tragedy, Sophocles’ heroine preserves the memory of her father and the need to punish his assassins. Electra struggles for justice in a world that has abandoned it, where loyalty counts for nothing and only forgetting is rewarded. The passion, power, and timeliness of Electra make for unforgettable theater.

Directed by SST Artistic Director Rush Rehm, Electra includes a stellar cast (Kay Kostopoulos, Courtney Walsh, Florentina Mocanu, Valentina Conde, and L. Peter Callender), along with a formidable design team. Original music by Michael Keck (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage), set design by Erik Flatmo (American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater), and choreography by Aleta Hayes (Robert Wilson’s Temptation of St. Anthony, Jane Comfort Dance Company) guarantee the high standard that audiences expect from Stanford Summer Theater.

Performance Schedule:
July 23 – August 15
Thursdays through Saturdays, 8:00 pm
Sunday matinee on August 9, 2:00 pm
Memorial Auditorium (seating on stage)

For ticket information, please visit: http://summertheater.stanford.edu, call 650-725-5838, or email stanfordsummertheater@gmail.com.

Sponsored by Stanford Continuing Studies, Stanford Classics and Drama Departments, the School of Humanities & Sciences, the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts.