Antigone reimagined
Sophocles’ great anti-war tragedy Antigone follows the misfortunes of Oedipus’ daughter and her mission to bury her brothers with full honours in hostile times. The play has been adapted many times and placed in many new contexts, but until now, has never been translated into Gaelic and certainly not set right here in the Western Isles.
Stùr/Dust, is a new theatre piece written in Uist Gaelic and set on the imaginary island of An t-Eilean Fada (the long island), the old name for South Uist. The work has been produced by The Fuaigh Collective, made up of writer Rona Dhòmhnallach (Garryheille), composer Gillebride Mac ’IlleMhaoil (Gearraidh Bhailteas ) and Director John Binnie. The group’s synopsis of the new work shows just how relevant the play is today: ‘Respecting the law of family and ancient culture rather than an uncaring, dysfunctional government, a young radical woman decides to stand up against the state.’
The new play’s first performance had been planned for the Uist machair, but lockdown restrictions forced a change of plan and the piece was, instead, showcased in a Glasgow garden this summer, with a cast that included Daibhidh Walker (Ormacleit), Màiri Morrison, and acclaimed Cheviot and the Stag and Black Black Oil actor, Dolina MacLennan.
Writer Rona MacDonald explained how the work came about: “I first read Antigone more than 30 years ago at University and it is an ambition realised to do a Gaelic adaptation. Over the course of the development period, we researched old burial traditions, emerging funeral practices, ecological mismanagement, land customs and rights. The mythologies of the Brahan Seer, symbolism of trees in Gaelic literature and the Irish tales of Cú Chulainn, were also woven in.”
Rona continues: “Our ambition was to perform the play on Uist, within the heart of the community, working with local Gaelic talent and with the landscape of the island playing a starring role. That incarnation, we conceded, was not going to happen, for now. As we read some scenes outdoors on a crisp February morning in the south side of Glasgow, we found ourselves saying ‘we could just do it here, right by that vegetable patch! And that’s exactly what we did.”
The Fuaigh Collective are progressing the work and hope to bring it home to Uist next year.
