Cult Of Dionysus 'By Euripides' The Bacchae

The evolution of society has necessitated that theatre, ever since 6th century Greece, (Foundation, 2016) had to have been developed for modern audiences and this is also attributable to the emergence of contemporary dramatic practitioners. Heritage texts are being re-envisioned by directors to captivate modern audiences, which is illustrated in physical theatre company Zen Zen Zo’s reinterpretation of The Cult of Dionysus (Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre Company, 1992). This play, adapted from famous Greek playwright Euripides’ original play ‘The Bacchae’, was reinterpreted by director Simon Wood whilst still sustaining the pertinent ideologies and the relevant themes of this era: control, revenge and power. The performance effectively utilises
the style of physical theatre whilst maintaining several Greek conventions, and is influenced by stylised dramatic practitioners such as Anne Bogart, Tastsumi Hijikata, Jerzy Grotowski and Tadashi Suzuki. The production privileges the elements of drama such as symbolism, tension, mood and space by skilfully manipulating them to show the dramatic meaning of the play, that mankind’s fatal flaws can lead to their demise. The themes and the dramatic meaning of the play are still relevant to modern society as showcased through Wood’s directing.
Staging and spacing in Woods’ interpretation employs Jerzy Grotowski’s dramatic theory and the theme of revenge, one of mans fatal flaws, is reinforced through symbolism. The minimalistic set, heavily inspired by Jerzy Grotowski’s ‘Poor Man’s Theatre’, diminishes distractions and draws focus to the intricate plot of the play (Cash, 2014) . The only staging component is a path of sand; a modern staging concept that, when the actors bare feet connect with the floor, is symbolic of the Greek people’s connection to the earth. Suzuki’s method of acting is used in feet to floor connection as he believed that ‘everything starts and ends with the feet’ (Tadashi Suzuki, 1986). Dionysus and the Bacchic women disrupt the sand and this is symbolic for how Dionysus’ revenge on Pentheus disrupts the hierarchy and the social order, with the sand signifying society. The Bacchic women are positioned away from Pentheus, circling him to symbolise that karma will come to Pentheus if he doesn’t obey Dionysus , and this spacing is repeated whenever Dionysus plans revenge on Pentheus. In the performance the women are positioned in a line down the middle of the stage and are spaced closely to symbolise a snake; foreshadowing Cadmus being turned into a snake due to Dionysus’ revenge (Bogart & Landau, 2009). Traditional methods in the performance such as no set changes were employed to not divert attention away from the complicated storyline. Both the contemporary and traditional methods of the staging and spacing in the production were used to make the audience aware of the underlying message: that man’s fatal flaws such as revenge can be self-destructive .
The director draws upon Anne Bogart’s viewpoints, Tadashi Suzuki’s method of acting, and Tastsumi Hijikata’s ‘Butoh’ style for his actor’s.
Employing these methods of movement creates specific mood and tension with the aid of lighting and music. Traditional aspects of Greek theatre such as chorus work, live music and grand gestures, coupled with non-traditional aspects such as actresses, were exploited so the audience could clearly understand the scene (University Press Inc, 2003). Live music is used to build tension as when Dionysus enters the drumming becomes faster. The Bacchic women perform a ritualistic dance routine paired with live music to create tension and an eerie mood. Their dancing is Suzuki inspired therefore being very strong , animalistic and sexual showing Dionysus is controlling the women as he is the god of fertility (Tadashi Suzuki, 1986). Dionysus himself draws on both Butoh and Suzuki styles as his lower body is strong, whereas his upper body movements are floaty and angelic to show that he is a god so he can seduce and control Pentheus whilst still having self-control: a symbol of his half-god, half-human status. The green lighting projected on the Maenads creates an eerie and mystical mood as Dionysus is controlling the women in a trace. Green is often associated with peace which juxtapositions how animalistic the women usually act, with all the Maenads moving softly and utilising Bogart’s viewpoint of tempo to move slowly. Pentheus’ Suzuki
inspired walks are strong and connect him to the ground, highlighting how he controls the land he walks on as he is the king of Thebes. The women kneel around Dionysus and follow him reinforcing his status and control over them as a god (Mastin, 2009). The fatal flaw of control can negatively affect humankind and this is emphasized by the specific use of movement, lighting and music .
The directorial choices for costuming effectively align with the dramaturgical practices of Butoh, and also symbolically link to the characters power, role and relationships.
Traditional costuming would not complement this modern adaptation of the script and therefore Japanese inspired costuming was introduced instead of the habitual robes and masks (University Press Inc, 2003). Body paint in theatre, a Butoh influenced method, is applied with Dionysus’ gold body and phallus with grapevine belt to show his role of the god of wine, pleasure and fertility (Dionysus, 1997). The gold colour is associated with gods and power thus showing symbolically his role and value in society. The partial nudity of the bacchic women and Dionysus, influenced by Butoh, alludes that there is a relationship between them as they are his worshipers (Butoh, 2010). Pentheus’ clothes symbolically show he has no power to the women as although he is their king, by disallowing them to worship Dionysus, they do not follow him. This is complemented by the way he is dressed in armour to cover his body, also making himself feel powerful as he is insecure, which can be seen by the use of armour despite a lack of conflict. Pentheus’ blue face paint signifies his regal blood line as blue is associated with sovereignty and authority. The red blood on his neck foreshadows his death therefore losing his role as king and the power that comes with this. Pentheus’ one costume change is a modern dress which is used
to show that he is stripped of his manliness and therefore his power (Shmoop, 2016). A fatal flaw of humans is power, as if one generates too much, then one can become reckless and therefore power in the wrong hands can result in a dreadful outcome.
The play The Cult of Dionysus’ delves into how man’s fatal imperfections negatively affect humankind, and is skilfully reinforced throughout the play due to the specific dramatic conventions used. Power, revenge and control, the main themes of the play, are highlighted through the utilisation of dramaturgical practices such as specific physicality, lighting, music, costuming, staging and spacing. The elements of drama are used in partnership with concepts from contemporary practitioners such as Anne Bogart, Tastsumi Hijikata, Jerzy Grotowski and Tadashi Suzuki. The original work of Euripides is still significant to modern audiences due to its universal themes and ideologies revealed in this performance through contemporary and traditional conventions.