“Down in the face of God,” a post-apocalyptic mashup of Greek tragedies “The Bacchae'' and “Antigone,” is the first play in a trilogy written by up-and-coming playwright Lord, a native of the Midwest and a member of the disability community. A radical reimagining of the Oedipus story set in modern-day southern Illinois, “Down in the face of God” takes the audience to a dystopian version of the real-life city of Thebes. Lord calls into question identity, religion, familial obligation and what is home.

Director Cameron Knight, associate professor in the School of Drama, and the student actors worked directly with the playwright via Zoom as they developed the production in the fall. “It’s always a great opportunity to work with the writer; it allows for the play to evolve and grow with the playwright making adjustments from what the actors offer,” Knight said. “The cast gets to dive into the story more: understanding the research, influences, goals of the story and its possible impact in the world today.”

Knight added: “The cast got the opportunity to advocate for their identities and representation in the creation of roles, to challenge the writing and gain insight and clarity into the world of the play and the thinking of the writer.”

Beyond the pedagogical value of engaging with the playwright to help shape their characters, Drama Dean Scott Zigler said the process can also benefit students as they graduate and embark on careers. “Actors who are familiar with the playwright might get called for staged readings and workshops, and some writers like Tim Lord are known to create roles with specific actors in mind,” Zigler said.

The play required actors to bring together many aspects of their training. “I am often looking for opportunities for students to put the training into action and to show how it all comes together,” Knight said, “to look at the Greek classics and how they still have relevance in the current times. This play called for students to increase their analytical mind, expand their imagination and to challenge themselves to make discoveries in their work.”

Lord tells stories of people and communities who are often overlooked on our stages and strives to illuminate ignored and underrepresented perspectives. Lord is the recipient of the inaugural Apothetae-Lark Fellowship for a writer with a disability and was a 2017-18 Jerome Fellow at The Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis.

The cast for “Down in the face of God” includes fourth-year actors Nicole Sollazzo as May, Amar Bains as Ham, Jane Cooper as Ana, Yasmin Pascall as Ora, and N’yomi Stewart as D; and third-year actors Maleek Slade as Pen, Madison Kiernan as Ino and Devlin Stark as Gavi.

From the School of Design and Production, Houston Odum is scenic designer;  Amanda Fisk is lighting designer; Dian Yu is sound designer; Johnna Presby is costume designer; Nathaniel Jones is wig and makeup designer; Jack Covits is props director; Kevin Douglass Jr. is technical director; Keenan Van Name is production manager; and Kathleen Carragee is production stage manager.

Maddy Brown, a third-year student in the School of Drama, is dramaturg. Kendall Best and Liam Mallett, third-year students in the School of Filmmaking, are film editors.