Scenes from “The Suppliant Women”

Swarthmore College (2021)

Swarthmore College’s Department of Theater Performance Research Workshop presents Scenes from THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN, an extraordinary 2600-year old human rights story told through community, song, and movement. 
 
Led by Director Alex Torra, Music Director Alma Richeh, and Choreographer Shavon Norris, Scenes from THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN is the culmination of a month-long experiment by the students of Performance Research Workshop in creating virtual communal performance. In response to this moment of physical distance and political chaos, 31 students and non-student performers from diverse geographies and backgrounds have come together to transform an ancient Greek play into a contemporary call to action.
 
Part-theater, part-ritual, and part-political outcry, The Suppliant Women tells the story of 50 sisters who flee their homeland to escape forced marriage. At the gates of the city called Argos, they plead for asylum with the King and face off with the men who would be their husbands. In a new adaptation by writer David Greig and composer John Browne, the play uses song, chant, and movement to capture the rage, sorrow, and resilience of their journey.

Read more about the background and process of creating this project.