Quick Chats: Anne E. Thompson on Alcestis

Welcome to our Quick Chats series, where we take a peek backstage and ask questions that are almost completely related to the show. Today, we're chatting with Anne E. Thompson, who's in the Chorus of Euripides' Alcestis as translated and adapted by Ted Hughes, opening in the Touchstone this month.

Euripides' Alcestis is one of those Greek masterpieces that manages to touch on every aspect of the human experience. Themes of unconditional (and conditional) love, selfishness, aging and death collude with epic adventure, social expectations and redemption. And when it's filtered through the graceful words of former British Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, this age-old story takes on new meaning. The gist of it is this: King Admetos made a deal with the gods to extend his abbreviated life. But, as deals with gods often go, there's a catch, and someone has to sacrifice their life for his. After much ado, this job falls to his wife, Alcestis, who, as the story begins is in the process of meeting her maker. Here to talk about the play (and then some) is Anne Thompson.

APT: Have you ever acted in a Greek play before? If so, what was it? If not, did anything about Alcestis surprise you?
AT: This is my first time working on a full-length Greek play. However, I have had the opportunity to work on scenes from different Greek plays. In fact, my first summer out here as an Acting Apprentice, myself and Greta Wohlrabe did a scene from The Burial at Thebes as part of our Apprentice Showcase. I'm always surprised by how quickly I relate to the characters; even though their stories predate my own experience by several hundred years, they're still wrestling with love, honor, betrayal, pride, duty-feelings that come up in my own life on a daily basis. It's never difficult for me to imagine myself in their shoes.

APT: Ever been to a toga party?
AT: I mean, I did go to college, so- that probably answers that question.

APT: If you could be any mythological character, who would you be?
AT: Athena seems like a pretty extraordinary goddess. Just a few of her defining attributes include wisdom, strength, courage, and inspiration. I could definitely get on board with that lifestyle.

APT: Those Greek gods can be nasty. Which revenge is worse: pushing a boulder up a hill forever, just to have it roll back down (ala Sisyphus)? Or having your liver pecked out by an eagle every day (poor Prometheus, he was just trying to help)?
AT: Oh, man. Neither one of these situations sounds very pleasant. This is hypothetical, right? I suppose the Prometheus revenge would be pretty terrible. And painful. And not a very swift ending. I would prefer the boulder over having my liver pecked out. Ugh.

APT: What's your favorite thing about being in the Chorus?
AT: In our production of Alcestis, all of the Chorus members are developing very specific personalities and perspectives. I don't think that we'll look like your traditional Greek Chorus. Instead, we're working on creating characters that keep challenging how you feel about the story as it is unfolding. That's probably my favorite part, but watching my friends work is a pretty great part of it, too.