Allentown Public Theatre will be staging the world premiere of a new play, Then Athena, as part of the 2016 Philly Fringe Festival on September 9, 10 & 11. Devised as a raw collaboration,Then Athena intercuts stories of fourteen women characters some historical, some from pop culture, some completely new as they confront the fraught identity of “heroine” in modern American mythologies.
Performed by actor/writers Samantha Beedle, Holly Cate, Louise Howard and Anna Russell, and directed by Troy Dwyer,
Then Athenais an experimental suite of work created in the spirit of European avant-garde devised theatre.“Because the performers are also the playwrights, we’re channeling stories tailor-made for our bodies,” says Russell, who is also Allentown Public Theatre’s Artistic Director. “This kind of work isn’t done much in the United States. These are the characters we want to embody, because we weren’t seeing their stories told justly anywhere else, if at all.”
Dwyer underscores the political urgency of Then Athena as a distinctly American endeavor. “On the one hand, the U.S. seems progressive when it comes to the intersection of gender and valor. Military combat roles for women and transpeople are opening. Come November, a woman might lead the nation. But on the other hand, so might Donald Trump. It’s that Trumpish ‘Miss USA’ notion of valor that makes us want to fight. And we fight with art.”
And there is both “fight” and “art” in Then Athena
.“We’re costumed in military-style clothing,” says Cate. “And yes, we carry prop weapons, including assault rifles. But they’re
all painted bright red. There is a ‘performance art’ feel.” But there is also humor, much of it
supplied by stand-up comic Samantha Beedle, who plays a variety of roles. “It’s easy just to
feel rage when you realize how the stories of women heroes are undervalued. I think
that’s where I come in handy,” says Samantha. "Artists like Anna [Russell] just see red.
I crack jokes. But trust me, they kill.”
Ranging from dark to darkly humorous, the stories in Then Athena portray a wide variety of American women of all ages, and from all backgrounds.
“I’m 64,” says Howard, “and it’s refreshing to be able to write and perform from my life experience, but also to stretch myself. I play an Army General in a minefield in Afghanistan, a wannabe
Wiccan who communes with ancient goddesses, and even a comic book super
-villainess battling Wonder Woman. I also get to sing a little country and Western number. It’s a
feast.”
“Then Athena is fast with a lot of unexpected twists and turns,” says Dwyer. “I’ve nev-
er worked on anything quite so sharp, shocking and personal. It’s unapologetically femi-
nist, cutting-edge and funny. And even though it’s imaginary, and reaches into history
and mythology, it breathes with the real souls of the women who created it. In that way,
it’s far from pretend. It’s happening right in front of you, a real confrontation of real heroines."
For more information about Then Athena and to order tickets, please visit our special webpage for this production.
Then Athena will also be staged in the Lehigh Valley this Fall. More information will be forthcoming as we confirm the dates and venue.