Based on the famous Greek tragedy by Sophocles, the play begins in the reign of the tyrant Creon, uncle of Antigone - whose two brothers have killed each other in a bitter civil war. By burying her brother’s body in direct defiance of Creon’s orders, Antigone must be condemned to death. Her refusal to compromise clashes with the pragmatism of her uncle the King…

When Antigone was first performed in Paris in 1944, its heroine’s defiance was held to epitomize French resistance to Nazi occupation. Yet the author’s refusal to make Creon a simple villain stirred controversy, and conjures up echoes of many of the conflicts in our world today.

However, the play’s rich language and complexity of character transcend politics, as director Andy Kerr points out. All the human possibilities from love to brutality, are laid bare. Anouilh’s dense and disturbing vision will continue to resonate for years.

Network actors were most recently seen at the Community College Arts Centre in October 2005, in A Drink With Patrick Kavanagh, during Liverpool’s Irish Festival.