July 2006

The Cast:
Jamie Butcher
Lee Diep Chu
Chris Clynes
Joseph Cook
Tanya Roberts
Josephine Rogers
Jessica Stanley

This upbeat and riotous production of Lysistrata, the Classical Greek comedy, is less of a modern interpretation, and more of a distorted echo of the original text.
Continuing with the Deleuzian, Rhizomatic approach that Metra Theatre used in their first production of Measure for Measure, they intuitively jet through a range of different sources and concepts which have a root in the context of the play, without feeling any pressure to be part of unified theme or universal conclusion.
Lysistrata, set during the Peloponnesian War in Greece, tells the story of a group of women, who come together from all the opposing regions, with the aim of bringing peace, by means of a teasing sex strike, much to the dismay of the men, who are outraged that women are involving themselves in the political arena.
This Production draws on music and dance from the 1920’s, evoking a time when women were slowly but firmly rejecting the image of the submissive, dependent housewife. Extremities of War had shifted boundaries and changes that began as necessities, such as women going into the work place, gave rise to a new liberation, as women began seeking work, education and even social freedom. With the rise of Cinema, projecting the image of this new woman, it not only became accepted, but even became fashionable for women to be seen naughtily dancing the night away.

“These women moved confidently into a once male world. With a dashing spontaneity they rushed onto dance floors, lept into swimming pools, and accepted any dare…They were an ambitious group, determined to use their bodily charms to make their way in the world.” Mary.P Ryan, Decades of Discontent, the Womens Movement 1920-1940

Metra Theatre utilises the kind of Essentialist Feminism that is present in the text, which accepts and embraces an intrinsic difference between male and female, deeming neither right or wrong, it does however imply that masculinity has taken a dominant role in society and that the rise and respect of femininity (not just women, but feminine qualities in general) should be given more precedence to bring equality and balance in the world and make it a better place for both women and men. This is a feeling that still resonates today for many people around the world.
Metra fundamentally tells a story about equality and peace, both for the nations and for the sexes. At the same time there is awareness that it is a classical play from the great literary cannon, and although Aristophanes writes ahead of his time in terms of feminist thinking, it is nether-the-less a male voice. The Symbolic Order and Literary focus (in a Lacanian sense) is broken down, by interjecting the text with song, dance and circus skills, and also by sometimes moving out of the illusionary Realism that feminist Sue-Ellen Case refers to as ‘The prisonhouse of art’ by communicating with the audience as performers as well as characters, making at least part of it’s voice genuinely female.
In the Choral Episodes the focus is the traditional Greek idea of the chorus acting as a ‘voice of the people’ and in true Metra style the audience are really involved. Actors sit masked amongst the audience, cajoling and interacting, moving through them, and encouraging them to help in the scuffle against the opposition. Masks are also sometimes shoved aside as the actor underneath bequeaths the audience with little comments that they just can’t hold in.
This is a fun production full of vitality and vigour. It is as though the female characters of Lysistrata written in 411BC have come alive, jumped off the page and given Aristophanes a slap in the face!