Arts and Entertainment
Orestes 2.0 : A modern spin on an Greek classic
By Sade Oyalowo '14
April 12, 2012
After the murder of their father, siblings Orestes and Electra seek revenge in a plot to kill their mother, Clytemnestra. Six days after the death of their mother, Orestes and Electra await their execution. Their uncle Menelaus, returning from the Trojan War, might be the only one able to save them from their fate.
Based on the original play Orestes by Euripides, Orestes 2.0 is a contemporary adaptation by Charles L. Mee in 1992 about the aftermath of the Trojan War. Mee is an American playwright known for his collage-like style of playwriting. He currently teaches playwrighting at the Columbia University School of the Arts. Orestes 2.0 was his breakthrough play in 1992.
On Thursday April 12 at 8 p.m., the Hamilton College Theatre Department will present Professor Craig Latrell’s adaptation of Orestes 2.0 in Minor Theater. Unlike the original written in 408 B.C.E., contemporary items such as Twitter, inflatable sex dolls, sadomasochistic nurses and the Kardashians freshen up this 2012 version performed by Hamilton students.
Professor Latrell has always been a fan of Mee’s work, as he has previously directed another Mee play, Big Love. His respect and interest in Mee is the reason why he chose Orestes 2.0. He said, “Orestes 2.0 excited me, and I think that’s why I had to do it.”
Jordyn Taylor ’12, who is both in the show as Heleon of Troy and serves as co-dramaturg urges students to go see the show:“I think Orestes 2.0 can speak, in some way, to everybody in Hamilton’s student body. “The play explores what happens when civil society erodes, and all that’s left is our personal lives. Put simply, in Orestes 2.0, the personal becomes the public. If you’ve ever used Facebook or watched Jersey Shore, that concept should sound familiar.
“But most importantly, the Orestes 2.0 cast and crew has put immense amounts of time and energy into this production, and it’s really a high-tech, multi-sensory treat.”
In this twisted and tainted story about a binding love between two siblings, Orestes 2.0 explores the ideas of causality, fate, predetermination, and vicious never-ending cycles. Following its opening night on the 12th, Orestes 2.0 will be performed on Saturday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 18 and Saturday, April 21 at 8:00 p.m.