San Jac’s South Campus will present Aristophanes’ “Frogs!” this fall, offering students and the community a chance to experience ancient comedy with a modern twist. Directed by Theatre Coordinator and Theatre & Film Professor Jonelle Walker, the production opens on Wednesday, October 23, at the South Campus Black Box Theater.
“The play is about the god of theater, Dionysus, being totally fed up with the state of theater today and deciding the only solution is to travel to the underworld,” says Jonelle Walker, Theatre Coordinator and Theatre & Film Professor at South Campus.
The play will run for six performances: three during the opening week and three more on Wednesday, October 30, Thursday, October 31, and Friday, November 1. Walker notes that even though Aristophanes wrote “Frogs!” nearly 3,000 years ago, its message continues to feel relevant.
In the story, Dionysus attempts to revive a dead playwright to restore theater. Walker believes this mirrors the way people today often look backward for solutions.
“It is really a play about nostalgia and the errors we make in looking to the past for solutions to the present,” says Walker, “that period had many of the same problems we face now: political conflict, war, and consumerism.”
Walker states many young people are drawn to early 2000s culture, but that decade struggled with many of the same issues society still confronts today. By setting the play in that era, Walker hopes audiences reflect on how the past and present are not as different as they may seem.
Why “Frogs!”?
Walker follows a three-semester rotation of plays: one classical, one modern classic, and one contemporary. This semester, it was time to return to the classics.
“I try to do a classical play, a modern classic, and then something contemporary in a three-semester cycle,” says Walker, “this semester, we happened to be on a classical play cycle.”
The choice of Frogs! also came down to tone. “If we are going to do Greek theater, we should do something funny. Frogs! is my favorite choice,” says Walker.
Still, ancient humor presents challenges.
“Comedy ages like milk, so trying to translate the Greek jokes to today is a constant battle,” says Walker, “there are some jokes that if I did not tell you they were in the original script, you probably would not believe me. But people in 500 BCE were not so different from us.”
A collaborative effort
The production combines the talents of students, faculty, staff, and guest artists. Scenic designer Kyra Nappier and technical director Ty James are shaping the set, while guest artists J. Salazar and Betsy Corrick are designing sound and costumes.
“One of our actors is a staff member, Reed Choate. He works in the scene shop, so he will be building the set and performing in the play,” says Walker.
Although rehearsals have just begun, Walker says the excitement is clear. “It has been chaotic and fun, and there is a lot of energy in the room,” she says, “everybody wants to throw in ideas for how to build this bananas underworld.”
Why attend?
Walker stresses that Frogs! is not a typical Greek play weighed down by tradition.
“People think theater is stuffy and stodgy. There is nothing stodgy about this play. It is just really silly and has no manners at all,” says Walker.
She hopes audiences laugh, enjoy the experience, and also reflect on the deeper meaning.
“Do not sift through the ruins seeking enlightenment,” says Walker, quoting a Taoist philosophy that inspired her direction. “Why am I looking to history to solve problems of today? Why do I not trust myself to be the solution?”
Students, faculty, and community members are invited to attend and discover how Aristophanes’ comedy still entertains and challenges audiences after nearly three millennia.
For more information visit South campus Theatre’s instagram page at sjcsouththeatre.
