Acclaim for St Mary’s College production of classical Greek tragedy

Students at St Mary’s College, Crosby, have achieved a major success with their new production of a challenging 2,500-year-old classical Greek tragedy, Hippolytus by Euripides. 

Around 35 talented young actors, musicians and dancers from the Crosby-based school presented Hippolytus by Euripides in the prestigious surroundings of Liverpool Hope University’s Capstone Theatre, close to the city centre.

The play – which was first performed in Athens in 428 BC – tells the story of Phaedra’s unrequited love for her stepson Hippolytus, who has sworn chastity, and the tragedy that befalls their house as a result.

Against this background, the play also highlights the feud between two goddesses – Aphrodite goddess of love and Artemis goddess of chastity – and the terrible human cost of their conflict.

Hippolytus is highly regarded for its characterisation, strong narrative and exploration of the power of the gods as driving forces in the lives of the characters.

Lola Thomason (Aphrodite) and Keisi Carrillo Nicolas (Artemis) did an outstanding job in portraying these complex and powerful goddesses, while there was another excellent performance by Sebastian Handley, who took on the title role of Hippolytus. 

Other leading parts were taken by Verity Clark (Phaedra) and Ben Bearon (Theseus).

The production also featured a classical Greek chorus of 14 students and a five-piece on-stage band, led by Anna Quint and Sophie Jones. The music was accompanied by a number of dances including captivating solo dance performances by Lola Thomason and Kevin Turner. 

The acting, music and dance combined to create a dazzling experience for those lucky enough to have tickets for the sell-out performance.

St. Mary’s College has an impressive track record in presenting classical plays. 

The school’s previous successes have included The Trojan Women and Medea (both also by Euripides) and Oedipus, Antigone and Ajax (all written by Sophocles).

Commenting on the production of Hippolytus St. Mary’s head of classics, Mrs Nancy Moore, said: “Yet again our appreciative audience was treated to a first-class production and our students richly deserved the standing ovation they received at the end of the play. In fact, I think this was our best production yet!

“The acting, musical and dancing talent on display was outstanding, and the student’s hard work and determination were also apparent for all to see.

“More than anything this was a company production, with all the students on stage and behind the scenes joining forces to make the evening the outstanding success it was.

“By working together everyone involved helped to convey the power of this classical Greek tragedy, while at the same time making the ancient play fresh and relevant to a modern audience,” added Mrs Moore.