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The Division of Humanities and Social Sciences (DHSS) and the English Language and Literature Studies Programme (ELLS) performed a drama showcase on 29 November.

The students of ENG 2203 Introduction to Western Drama class performed ‘The Trojan Women’, a tragedy written by the Greek playwright Euripides and adapted by Ellen McLaughlin. The director for the student showcase was DHSS Assistant Professor Dr Sadie Chandler and the stage crew consisted of the ELLS Academic Society Ms Melody Feng and Ms Chang Yao.

‘The Trojan Women’ follows the story of the women who watch their home, the fallen city of Troy, be destroyed and await their fate as slaves.

The first scene where the women observe the ruins of Troy

Andromache reflects on her late husband, Hector

The cast consisted of Liu Shilin as Poseidon, Lu Yi as Hecuba, Zhang Yingyang as Helen, Zheng Yuyin as Cassandra, Zhou Siqi as Andromache, and Wang Chenxi as Talthybius. The chorus consisted of Zhang Shiyu, Luo Ying, Ren Xiaoyu, Liu Yuxuan, Sun Ziling, and Cai Wenqian.

The students displayed a variety of different emotions while performing, reflecting what their on-stage characters felt in each scene: anger, sadness and heartbreak are examples. However, the students went beyond basic emotions and performed scenes with more emotional depth: anxiety for their future, longing for their old home, and heart-breaking reminders of their missing loved ones.

The women of Troy support each other

Cassandra was one of the few characters, if not the only one, who was joyous during the performance. She had a vision that she would die, but so would her Greek captures, and for a moment, it appeared she had gone mad.

Cassandra bounced from one emotion to another

Through the hardships of facing the reality of their situation, they remained supportive of one another, until the audience witnessed an intense scene involving the characters Hecuba and Helen arguing.

Helen laughs at Hecuba's accusations of her

The argument is heated

The play continued with shocking news from Talthybius, a Greek soldier, that Andromache’s son is to be killed. The Trojan women did their best to support her by blocking Talthybius from taking her baby, but it wasn’t enough. Andromache displayed great despair for the loss of her son, as did Hecuba for her grandson.

The Trojan women have hope

Talthybius takes away Andromache's son

Hecuba consoling her daughter-in-law Andromache

Talthybius surprisingly returns to make a grave

Finally, the last remaining structures of Troy crumbled and the women cried out in Troy’s honour one last time before they followed Talthybius off stage.

The Trojan women mourning for Troy once more

Hecuba sits alone and reflects about Troy as Talthybius waits for her to follow

DHSS Assistant Professor Benjamin Barber said: “I thought the ELLS production of The Trojan Women was a fantastic rendition of a well-written, poignant, and timely adaptation of Euripides' play. The students had clearly put a great deal of effort and thought into developing their characters and mastering an effective, nuanced delivery of their lines. They distinguished themselves especially in the precision with which they followed the carefully arranged stage direction of Prof Chandler. The overall impression of their performance was very moving. For me, the most powerful scene was the exchange between Hecuba and Helen, where both actors displayed a sharp understanding of each figure's struggle as they verbally grapple to seize the higher moral ground.”

A wonderful performance by the students