Performances

• Nov. 5, 8 p.m.

• Nov. 6, 8 p.m.

• Nov. 7, 8 p.m.

• Nov. 12, 8 p.m.

• Nov. 13, 8 p.m.

• Nov. 14, 8 p.m.

• Nov. 15, 2 p.m.

The performance is free to Alvernia students, faculty, and staff; admission is $5 for all others. Tickets may be purchased at the door for general seating. 

Content advisory: The play includes adult language and violence. Not suggested for children under 16.

About the Play

Odysseus abandoned fellow Greek warrior, Philoctetes, on a remote island early in the Trojan War. Ten years have passed. A Trojan prophet has declared that the Greeks will not be able to win the war without Philoctetes and the Bow of Hercules he possesses. So, after 10 years, Odysseus and Neoptalamus, the son of Achilles, come back to the island to convince Philoctetes to rejoin the war.

Tempest, a British poet, recording artist, novelist and playwright, brings a contemporary voice to this ancient story. Tempest’s adaptation of Sophocles’ ancient tragedy, "Paradise" had its debut performance at England’s Royal National Theatre in 2021.

“We are thrilled to be the first group to produce this adaptation in America," said Nathan Thomas, director of Alvernia Theatre.

The production features a Greek Chorus made of broken and displaced people who observe and comment on the unfolding drama. Thomas sees the play as a natural fit with Alvernia’s mission and core values.

“There are issues of war and peace. In the way the Greeks asked great questions, this play asks if heroism and morality are fixed and innate or changeable and context-driven,” Thomas said.

Movement and music are integral to the production. The cast developed the music themselves. Jessica Warchal-King, Alvernia’s artist-in-residence in dance, worked with the cast to develop movement with the chorus.

“She has been doing amazing work on these places in the play where the feelings of the characters transcend articulate speech,” Thomas said.

Tempest was a 2022 finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for the play.