Theatre at AACC will present a modern translation of the Greek tragedy “Antigone” in November.

The production, from Nov. 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 at the Kauffman Theater, will mark the first showing of the translation by local director Erin Bone Steele.

“Our program gets to benefit from being able to … put ‘world premiere’ on the poster,”

 Sean Urbantke, a performing arts professor and faculty adviser for the Moonlight Troupers theater club, said.

Steele, who has a doctorate in theater history and performance studies from the University of Maryland, will also direct the play, whose script she adapted from the original Greek and previously translated texts.

“I have enough familiarity to go in and translate out phrase by phrase, word by word and, and try and find the poetry and the metaphor and the imagery that is in the original and then seeing how it can be rendered in a way that will speak to our audience,” Steele, a member of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, said.

“Antigone” is a classic Greek tragedy, part of a series of plays written by the famous playwright Sophocles in the fifth century B.C.

In the play, a young woman named Antigone disobeys a royal decree by Creon, the king of Thebes. After sentencing Antigone to death, Creon is approached by several characters who attempt to talk him out of his decision.

“We’ve got that entire idea of, like, someone in power … trying to learn how to not be a tyrant,” Urbantke said. “But are they [King Creon] going to learn it in time, before all the tragedy comes home to roost?”

Third-year transfer student Nathan Garcia, who plays King Creon, said “a lot of people are going to enjoy this new translation. … Well, it’s pretty cool. It’s not you know, heavy with the old fashioned thou’s and thee’s. I think it’s very timely.”

Moonlight Troupers President Angelo Klonowski, who plays the messenger, said he is “pretty excited” about performing the play. 

“I love Sophocles,” Klonowski, a second-year visual arts student said.

Steele said directing at AACC is “lovely.” 

“Everybody is very enthusiastic,” Steele said. “Everybody comes in with a nice mix of eagerness to learn more and also willingness to discuss the things they’ve done before and the way that those experiences have shaped them.”