Sydney Dramaturgical’s Antigone

Where three roads meet: Auslan, English, and Ancient Greek.

• What’s the story? After a brutal civil war, the new king declares that one of the dead—Antigone’s brother—must remain unburied. Antigone refuses. What follows is a clash between law and loyalty, family and the state.

• Why Auslan? In Antigone, language is gatekept. Grief becomes illegal. Bodies are refused dignity. Deaf people have lived through this—being denied language, being punished for signing, being shut out of public mourning. Auslan brings that history to the surface.

• What if I don’t understand Ancient Greek? Don’t worry—Greek is used sparingly, only where no English equivalent exists. The show speaks many languages at once: English, Auslan, Greek, and gesture. You’re never left behind.

• What’s up with the giant, glowing gate? It’s from a story by Kafka. A man comes to a gate, seeking the law. A guard tells him he can’t enter—not yet. The man waits his whole life. Just before he dies, he asks why no one else ever came. The guard says: “This gate was made only for you.” Then he closes it. What is law? Who is the man before the law?

• Who is this for? If you like theatre that asks you to lean in, puzzle through, and feel your way forward—this is for you.

Each weeknight show will be preceded by a complimentary lecture on Antigone. Refer to the Sydney Dramaturgical Eventbrite.