Dig Deeper | antigone lives*
PLAYWRIGHT BIO | Susanna Fournier
Susanna Fournier is based in Toronto but has lived in British Columbia, Montreal, and Berlin. She’s known in theatre for her distinct voice and interdisciplinary productions. Her work is rowdy, joyous, contentious, queer, and often called “impossible”. In 2018-19, Susanna produced her critically acclaimed trilogy, The Empire, across three Toronto venues and as a radio-drama podcast series available online. The Empire was published by Playwrights Canada Press in March 2022.
Her performance texts are wild landscapes: PYPER, HEART/BODY, Just a Trick, What Happens to You – Happens to Me, Always Still the Dawn, Still Human, and antigone lives*.
Susanna is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. She’s won the Patrick Conner Award, The Cayle Chernin Award and is a two-time nominee for the KM Hunter Award for theatre artist of the year (2016/18). She’s also been a finalist for The Herman Voaden National Playwriting Competition and nominated for the Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize.
Work cited:
“Susanna Fournier.” Playwrights Guild of Canada, 28 Nov. 2024, playwrightsguild.ca/playwright/fournier-susanna/.
Photograph by: John Bregar
Sophocles' Antigone
Susanna Fournier’s antigone lives* is a postmodern response to the ancient Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles. Written in 441/0 BCE, Antigone follows the titular character, a young Theban princess, as she navigates the death of her two older brothers, Eteocles and Polynices. Before the events depicted in Sophocles’ play, the two brothers decided they would share the throne, alternating each year. However, when it came time for Eteocles to step down, he refused, leading Polynices and six others, known as the Seven Against Thebes, to march on the city. In this confrontation, the brothers kill one another in a duel, allowing Antigone’s uncle, Creon, to assume the throne. Creon orders a state funeral for Eteocles, while leaving Polynices’s body to rot without burial as befits a traitor. Creon decrees that any attempt to bury Polynices will be punished by death.
Moved by love for her brother and her deep sense of injustice, Antigone secretly buries Polynices under a thin layer of dirt, despite Creon’s decree and her sister, Ismene’s attempts to stop her. Creon receives word of the symbolic burial and, enraged, he demands that the culprit be found. Guards arrest Antigone as she starts the funeral rites. They bring her before Creon, and what ensues is one of the most famous debates in dramatic literature. While Antigone argues for the unbreakable rules of natural law and the laws of the gods, Creon argues for the unbreakable rules of the state, which hold civilization together. When Ismene attempts to confess to the crime herself, Antigone denies Ismene’s involvement, but Creon imprisons them both.
Creon’s son Haemon, betrothed to Antigone, comes to argue for her life, but Creon refuses his pleas. Haemon vows to leave his father forever. Creon decides to spare Ismene, but he orders Antigone to be buried alive in a cave.
Tiresias, the prophet, urges Creon to bury Polynices, warning him that the gods are displeased, but Creon, unbending, accuses Tiresias of corrupt motives. Tiresias prophesies that for his disregard of the gods, Creon will lose a son of his own, that all of Greece will come to despise him, and the gods will refuse the offerings of Thebes. The chorus of Theban citizens pleads with Creon to heed Tiresias’s prophecies, and Creon eventually assents. But his change comes too late. A messenger reports that after Haemon discovers that Antigone has hanged herself in her cave, he commits suicide in his grief. Having overheard this news, Creon’s wife retreats to the palace and kills herself, cursing the name of her husband. Creon ends the play broken and bereft of his family.
Sophocles’ Antigone remains one of the finest examples of Athenian tragedy, and almost 2,500 years after it first played at the Festival of Dionysus, it continues to be produced around the world.
Article by: Production Dramaturgs, Kalen Sabasch and Dana Tanner-Kennedy
Image: Lytras Nikephoros (1832 - 1904) Antigone and Polynices, 1865
“SOME THINGS TO KNOW”: THE WORLD OF THE PLAY
In her notes on antigone lives*, playwright Susanna Fournier lists “some things to know” about the formal and philosophical inspirations she called on as she built its world. Here are some summaries of those ideas.Accelerationism and The Accelerationist Reader edited by Robin Mackay and Armen Avanessian
Jackals
The Politics of Vibration: Music as a Cosmopolitical Practice by Marcus Boon
Rave Culture
Article by: Production Dramaturgy Team, Grace Fitzgerald and Kalen Sabasch
“Anubis.” Britannica, 25 October 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anubis. Accessed 10 October 2025.
marcus3001. “Sonic Ontology – Sounding Out!” Sounding Out!, 2025, soundstudiesblog.com/tag/sonic-ontology/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
McCaughan, J. A., et al. “From ‘Candy Kids’ to ‘Chemi-Kids’: A Typology of Young Adults Who Attend Raves in the Midwestern United States.” Substance Use and Misuse, vol. 40, no. 9–10, Jan. 2005, pp. 1503-1523–1523.
Ostberg, René, and BJ Copeland. “Transhumanism | Definition, History, Ethics, Philosophy, & Facts.” Britannica, 3 October 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/transhumanism. Accessed 10 October 2025.
Stoneman, S. (2024). Marcus Boon. The Politics of Vibration: Music as a Cosmopolitical Practice. University of Toronto Quarterly, 93(3), 483–485. https://doi.org/10.3138/utq.93.03.71
Tapper, James. “Raves from the Grave: Lost 90s Subculture Is Back in the Spotlight.” The Guardian, 26 June 2021, www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/26/raves-from-the-grave-lost-90s-subculture-is-back-in-the-spotlight.
Photo Credits:
- ACCELERATE cover: www.urbanomic.com Cover design by Leaky Studio
- Anubis image: Anubis weighing the soul of the scribe Ani, from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, c. 1275 BCE, Mary Evans Picture Library/age fotostock
- Boon book cover: https://marcusboon.com/
- Rave photo: A photograph from the Full On. Non-Stop. All Over. book capturing the 90s rave scene. Photograph: Matthew Smith / Book: Full on. Non-Stop. All over.
COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES | Alphabetically by last name
Sable B. Boltz | Polynices
Sable B. Boltz is immensely grateful to spend his final year of the BFA acting program performing on the Studio Theatre stage, following in the footsteps of countless alumni. Originally from the traditional lands of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe (the San Francisco Bay Area), Sable has lived and worked in Amiskwaciwâskahikan since 2021, where he has found a passionate and welcoming community of artists. Onstage, you may have seen Sable in The Winter’s Tale, The Cherry Orchard, Bright-Eyed Portraits (University of Alberta), White Christmas (NUOVA Vocal Arts), Lemon (ReadyGo Theatre), and That’s The Spirit! At NextFest, co-created with Gabi Stachniak. Offstage, Sable can be found reading and writing original poetry, sewing, and taking beautiful photos of beautiful things.
Amber Borotsik | Movement Coach
Amber is an Amiskwaciwâskahikan based creator and performer keenly interested in the intersection between contemporary dance and theatre practices. Amber has devised, choreographed and performed in both theatre and dance across Canada, the United States, and in Japan and South Africa. She has received three Sterling Awards as well as the TELUS Courage to Innovate award at the Mayor’s Evening for the Arts. Together with Murray Utas she founded Azimuth Theatre’s Expanse Festival and served as Festival Director for its first six years. As a creator she focuses mainly on interdisciplinary performance (Scythe, The Moon at Midnight, No Guesses Found). Her work has been presented across Canada at Neighbourhood Dance Works (St. John’s), Studio 303 and Centre de Création O Vertigo (Montreal), Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers (Winnipeg), New Dance Horizons (Regina), The Fluid Festival (Calgary), as well as various places and spaces here in Amiskwaciwâskahikan including The Brian Webb Dance Company and Mile Zero Dance. Most recently she co-directed a collaboratively created adaptation of Oderin by Newfoundland poet Agnes Walsh in St. John’s, NL and choreographed Horseplay by Kole Durnford at Workshop West Theatre.
Michael Caron | Sound Design
Michael is thrilled to be back at the Studio Theatre for antigone lives*. Selected credits include sound designer and composer for The Spinsters (Small Matters Productions), A Dream Play and Dracula (Studio Theatre). They have also worked as a sound designer and live mixer for Frozen, Rock of Ages, Mary Poppins, Rent, and The Little Mermaid (Rainbow Stage), as well as the live mixer for Vigilante and The Invisible (Catalyst Theatre). He is a long-standing collaborator with Catch the Keys Productions as sound designer and composer for the Dead Center of Town. Michael spends his quiet time in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
Kerem Çetinel | Lighting Design
Kerem is a designer who splits his time between Canada and Türkiye. His selected design credits include Monster (Kill Your Television Theatre), Death and the Maiden (Globe Theatre), Bash'D! (Theatre Passe Muraille), Pretty Little Instincts (SNAFU Dance Theatre), A Streetcar Named Desire (Bluebridge Repertory Theatre), The Trespassers (Belfry Theatre & Vancouver Playhouse), The Kite Runner (Theatre Calgary & Citadel Theatre), The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst (Ghost River Theatre & ATP), Fortune Falls (Catalyst Theatre), Anna Karenina (National Theatre of Türkiye), Ezel Bahar (National Ballet of Türkiye) and Biz (Voicing the Resistance Festival - Maxim Gorki Theatre, Berlin). Kerem is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada and has a MFA Theatre Design degree from University of Alberta.
Emma Church | Stage Manager
Andrew Domanski | Jackal
Tonight's performance would mark his second performance in a studio theatre production, having worked on The Devils in 2023 before entering the program. Since then, Andrew has participated in numerous fringe shows, including Practically Perfect Pitch (Top Bunk Productions) and Speed: The 1940s Radio Drama (Cousins-in-law theatre). Now, on the heels of graduation, Andrew Domanski is excited to perform yet again in the Timms Centre of the Arts for antigone lives*!
Grace Fitzgerald | Production Dramaturg
Grace (she/her) is thrilled to be a dramaturg for antigone lives*. She is a YEG based artist with a focus on directing and playwriting currently pursuing her BA in Drama at the University of Alberta. Previous directing credits include You Can't Take It With You (ABBEDAM 2025), The Bone House (Staged 2025), and Carter and the Train (Nextfest and Staged 2024). Grace wants to thank the entire team, especially her fellow dramaturgs Dana and Kalen, for their work and support!
Joshua Hope | Jackal
Joshua Hope (He/They) is an Edmonton and Red Deer based actor, writer, musician, and fight coordinator who is currently in their final Year of the BFA Acting Program at the University of Alberta. Selected acting credits include: Sheep Play (New Works Festival), The Cherry Orchard, The Winter’s Tale (University of Alberta). Selected fight coordination credits include: Romeo & Juliet, Riverona (Prime Stock Theatre), You Can’t Take It With You (Abbedam). You can catch Josh next in the University of Alberta Studio Theatre’s production of Tartuffe, playing the role of Tartuffe.
Lauren Johnsen | Antigone
Lauren Johnsen is an Alberta-based theatre artist, currently in her fourth year of the BFA Acting program. She is grateful to get to work, create, and play on this land and is thrilled to perform on the Timms stage for her final year. Recent performance credits include: Nose Dive (Play the Fool), The Last Perfect Game: The Jerry Stephenson Story (Edmonton Fringe), This is Not a Test (Collections Collisions/Mile Zero Dance), The Winter's Tale, and The Cherry Orchard (University of Alberta).
David Kennedy | Director
David Kennedy is a Professor in the Department of Drama at the University of Alberta, where he currently serves as Coordinator of MFA Directing. Other credits include 14 seasons as Associate Artistic Director of Connecticut's Westport Playhouse and four as Associate Artistic Director of Dallas Theater Center. As a freelance artist, he has directed plays at the Wilma Theater, TheaterWorks Hartford, Clarence Brown Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Prospect Theater Company, and Ship’s Company Theatre, among many others. He has also workshopped and developed new plays for Westport Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, New Dramatists, The Acting Company, People’s Light, Arkansas Repertory Theatre and Evenstar Films, and was a founding artistic director of The Lunar Society and Milkman Theatre Group, two independent Canadian theatre ensembles. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Kennedy is a former Phil Killian Fellow at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a Drama League Directing Fellow, and a recipient of the University of Alberta’s Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Abby Krushel | Ismene
Abby Krushel is an emerging artist originally from Tk'əmlúps (Kamloops, British Columbia). She is currently in her fourth year at the University of Alberta in the Bachelors of Fine Arts Acting program. She has had the privilege of training in various programs in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Abby has also participated in workshops geared towards the development of new plays and was a part of the Postmarginal Edmonton workshop ‘Casting Across Differences’. Selected theatre credits include: The Shape of a Girl (Western Canada Theatre), Working: A Musical (The Citadel Theatre’s Young Company), The Winter’s Tale and The Cherry Orchard (The University of Alberta).
Alison Matthews | Voice & Text Coach
Currently a voice specialist in the Drama Department at the University of Alberta, Alison Matthews is Head of Coaching for the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, where she has coached over forty productions since 2008, and a founding faculty member at the Arts Club Actor’s Intensive. She was on faculty with the Citadel Banff Professional Theatre Program for five years teaching voice, text, and dialects, and was Interim Program Director in 2018.
Select recent coaching credits include Once (Thousand Islands Playhouse), Jersey Boys (Citadel), Twelfth Night and King Lear (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks), and Redbone Coonhound (Arts Club Theatre Company). Alison has also coached academics at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, and she is a founding board member of the National Voice Association/Association Nationale de la Voix.
With three decades of professional acting experience, Alison’s film and television credits include The X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, iZombie, and Disney's Snowdogs. Her stage credits include The Belfry Theatre and the former Vancouver Playhouse Theatre (where she played C in the Canadian premiere of Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women). Learn more: imdb.me/alisonmatthews
Ken Matthews | Scenic, Prop, Costume and Projection Design
Ken Matthews is a lighting, set, costumes, and projection designer originating from mihkwâpisimosos, or Red Deer, Alberta. He is thrilled to be given the opportunity to tackle antigone lives* as his thesis production, as the show holds a special place in his heart. To craft an experience so all encompassing as this project has been an outstanding learning opportunity that he has thoroughly enjoyed. Ken’s recent credits include: Lighting design for Grant MacEwan’s production of Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812, Costume Design for the University of Alberta’s production of The Laramie Project in April of 2025 and the University of Alberta’s production of Wildfire in December of 2024. After this fantastic production, he will join the Shadow theatre team as the lighting designer for their upcoming production of The Revolutionists in April of 2026. Ken sincerely hopes that you enjoy this show.
Caileigh Muilenburg | Jackal
Caileigh Muilenburg is currently in her fourth and final year of her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting at the University of Alberta. Previously she attended MacEwan University where she graduated with a Diploma in Music Theatre Performance. Caileigh is passionate about the experience the audience has and helping to transport them to another world. She is especially interested in children's theatre as this brought her a lot of joy as a child and she now wants to pass that experience on to today's youth. Past credits include World Goes ‘Round (MacEwan University), The Drowsy Chaperone (MacEwan University), Once Upon a Mattress (Nuova Vocal Arts), and Between the Lines (Nuova Vocal Arts). She owes many thanks to her mom and dad who have supported her along the way. Instagram: caileigh_joy
Kalen Sabasch | Production Dramaturg
Kalen Sabasch is a 3rd year student enrolled in the BA Honours program at the University of Alberta, majoring in Drama and minoring in Political Science. Primarily working as a director, antigone lives* serves as Kalen’s first exploration into the world of dramaturgy, they would like to thank both Dana Tanner-Kennedy and David Kennedy for their continued support. Select previous credits include You Can’t Take it With You (Production Manager, ABBEDAM, 2025), Old Man Sallow Who Lives on Crypt Rock (Director, Edmonton International Fringe Festival, 2025) as well as Once Upon a Mattress (Asst. Director, NUOVA Vocal Arts, 2025).
Liam Sievwright | Jackal
Liam Sievwright is an Edmonton (Amiskwacîwâskahikan) based actor currently attending the University of Alberta in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting program. His passion for performance continues to grow as he learns more and more about the endless fascinating possibilities the stage holds. Aside from acting, he has fallen in love with clown work and movement and enjoys bringing his love for both to everything he performs.
Colby Stockdale | Eteocles
Colby Stockdale (He/Him) is an indigenous actor based in Amiskwaciwâskahikan. He began acting in high school and went on to do the Young Companies acting program at The Citadel Theatre. He is currently studying acting at the University of Alberta through the BFA Acting program. His recent credits include: Thou Art Here Theatre’s Civil Blood: A Treaty Story, The Cherry Orchard and A Winter’s Tale at The University of Alberta. He hopes you enjoy the show!
Dana Tanner-Kennedy | Production Dramaturg
Dana Tanner-Kennedy is a scholar, dramaturg, and educator who teaches at the University of Alberta and St. Joseph’s College. Dana’s writing has appeared in Theatre Journal, Theater, Ecumenica, and Religions, and she was a Contributing Editor to PAJ. Her dramaturgy credits include among men (Theatre Projects Manitoba); The Soldier’s Tale (Carnegie Hall, NY); Hamlet (Yale Repertory Theatre, CT); Urge for Going (The Public Theater, NY); Suddenly Last Summer, Loot, Nora, Appropriate, Doubt, and Don Juan (Westport Country Playhouse, CT). Formerly, she served as Associate Director of Education at Dallas Theater Center and worked in the literary offices of the Public, Atlantic Theater Company, and Yale Repertory Theatre. Training: MFA and Doctor of Fine Arts, Yale School of Drama.
Cecil Turner-Veselka | Assistant Stage Manager
Cecil (he/him) is a third year BFA stage management major, originally from the United States. He has been stage managing for almost seven years, and is currently working as a video technical at the Citadel Theatre. At the university he was the assistant stage manager on Waiting for Godot and [BLANK], sound operator for [BLANK], and stage technician for Mothers. He is honored to be a part of such a unique, fascinating play, and to work with such talented people.
Published December 2025