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Greek tragedy gets a modern retelling

Douglas College students stage Trojan Women, March 20 to 27 in New West
Douglas College, Trojan Women
Douglas College students in rehearsal for Trojan Women, coming to the stage March 20 to 27.

Douglas College is putting a modern spin on an ancient Greek tragedy for its next student performance.

The college's departments of theatre and stagecraft are putting on Trojan Women, running March 20 to 27 at the Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre.

The play is written by Charles Mee, adapted from the original work by Greek playwright Euripides. It's infused with fragments of texts by intellectuals, artists, war survivors - and even the Kama Sutra and the Geraldo Rivera show.

Trojan Women takes place in the aftermath of the mythological Trojan War, when the city of Troy has been sacked and the women who live there face grim futures as captives of the conquering Greeks.

"This play is harsh, it's intense, and it deals with the senseless savagery of war," says director Thrasso Petras in a press release. "Our theatre students have done a remarkable job of taking the time to process the difficult material in the script and turn it into a performance that will engage and enlighten."

Allie Melchert of New Westminster is among the ensemble cast that also includes students Jackson Boudreau, Robyn Crawford, Zoe Frank, Ben Groberman, Thomas Halkes, Mikayla Hart, Kaleigh Skye Almond McDonald, Sarah Mendoza, Dan McPeake, Morgan Lianne Oehlschlager, Ashley Scigliano, Claire Temple and Levi Williams.

The Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre is on the fourth floor north at Douglas College's 700 Royal Ave. campus. Tickets are $8 to $12, available through www.ticketsnw.ca or by calling 604-521-5050.