Meet the Cast & Crew - Emily Shankman

Emily Shankman

Eurydice/Chorus

What do you most like about your character?

I like that she gets a voice in a variety of ways: as chorus member/observer and as a mother, whose watches everything fall apart until she has felt complete devastation.

Antigone was written around 440BC. Do you think modern audiences will relate? If so, how?

We are in the midst of a dramatic power struggle of Grecian proportions right here in 2016 America. I think people can relate to the dramatic shifts in power, and the aftermath of such struggles in this tumultuous election year.

This production has an uncharacteristically long rehearsal period, 21 weeks as opposed to the standard 6-8 weeks. How has this affected your work?

The extended rehearsal process has been a blessing and a curse. I have plenty of time as an actor to let my development of the character brew and deepen. Yet I also find that my forward motion with discovering Eurydice was broken up a bit. Sometimes an actor can spend too much time in their heads, second guessing their choices.

Every play brings different challenges.What areas of your craft has this play exercised ?

Finding truth in a heightened sense of language. Finding the action and the immediacy underneath the poetic, descriptive language.

Where else can we see your work?

I was recently in a production of In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play by Sarah Ruhl. I also play violin with a band called Danny Greenberg and the American Redstart. Come check us out.

What's next for you as an artist?

I'm heading to Chicago to become a part of another amazing acting community.

What work have you seen lately that we shouldn't miss?

Go watch Cynthia Erivo be a complete goddess inThe Color Purple. Her performance is so grounded, strong and passionate.