Some of BCA’s finest performers are preparing for their performance of Elektra this November. The production, directed by Mr. Kaplan, takes the ancient Sophocles’s work but modernizes it and brings it to the BCA stage equipped with many special elements including an authentic Greek chorus, pop and rock music, and eccentric costumes from different eras.

For a depressing tragedy, we’ve been having a lot of fun… Every rehearsal I look forward to and leave smiling.

Elektra is the second in a trilogy by Sophocles, with the first being Agamemnon and the third Orestes. The musical prelude and postlude give information about the two other plays in this trilogy. The pop/rock songs accompany these interpretations of the other stories.

“We’re trying to make it feel as if it’s happening at all times,” Mr. Kaplan said about the songs and the costumes.

Many of the students in the production are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform.

Liz Farias, an AVPA/T sophomore, discussed her excitement regarding her role as a chorus member. “Something unique about Elektra is its chorus,” Farias said. “Typically with Greek tragedies the chorus is unified and speaks as a majority, but in Elektra, Mr. Kaplan made the directorial choice of splitting up our lines. “

She continued on this distinct difference. “We each get to express them as we feel appropriate for our characters and it’s interesting how in this play, the growth in our individual characters is so evident and our goals are all so different, even though we are categorized as the chorus.”

The freedom of individuality and expression is a common theme expressed by members of the chorus.

Nina Osso, another AVPA/T sophomore and member of the chorus elaborated on this. “My favorite part of the rehearsal process is developing my own character, building relationships with other people in the chorus, and seeing how our ‘personalities’ cause us to naturally interact,” Osso added.

“It’s nothing like anything I’ve done before.”

However, the admiration and excitement for the production goes beyond the Greek chorus as well.

Max Feld, an AVPA/T senior, who is playing Agamemnon in the prelude and Orestes for the rest of the play, said his favorite part has been, “having the ability to have some creative input as an actor and seeing some of my ideas incorporated into the show.”

Still, putting on the play is not an easy task. Many hours of long hard work are part of the process.

“The most challenging part has been memorizing all of the lines and blocking, and then adding the actual character on top of that,” Feld said.

Farias brought up another point- that working in the round has proven difficult for some.

“We can’t hit a lot of things when we move around the small set,” Farias said. “And it’s hard getting into character sometimes after a long day of school.” No matter how difficult it is, the payoff will hopefully be worth it.

Luckily, the play is still coming together swiftly as the actors continue to stay on top of their duties.

“For a depressing tragedy, we’ve been having a lot of fun, and everyone has jumped into it excited to explore and discover things,” Mr. Kaplan said. “Every rehearsal I look forward to and leave smiling.”

Elektra will be performed November 16, 17, and 18, and tickets cost $12  for students/senior citizens and $15 for adults.