On Friday, March 25, Equity and Engagement staff attended a dramatic reading of “Xtigone,” presented by Champaign and Urbana middle and high school students. Xtigone is in response to gun violence in the Champaign-Urbana community and in tribute to victims of this violence. This collaborative theater event adapts Sophocles’ Antigone, an ancient play whose themes resonate with the effects of violence on families and communities.
Xtigone speaks directly to gun violence within African-American communities in Chicago. Students, teachers, and staff from Champaign and Urbana participated in a staged reading and performance workshops and discussions under the direction of Paul O’Mahony, Director of the acclaimed Out of Chaos Theatre company, based in London. You can watch coverage of the event here.
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- Sam Smith, Director of Civic Engagement an Social Practice of Krannert Center for Performing Arts, leads a discussion with the youth and program attendees
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- Champaign and Urbana students take the state at Central High School for a dramatic reading of “Xtigone”
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- The audience awaits the performance of “Xtigone”